LANGUAGE ASSESSMENT FOR YOUNG LEARNERSud:A Descriptive Study of How Teachers at Three Elementary Schools in Eastern Part of Bandung Assess Their 4th Grade Students

摘要

The purpose of introducing English as foreign language to young learners is to stimulate learners’ interest in studying the language. Assessment should support this purpose instead of working against it. However, some studies reveal that only few English teachers comprehend the principles of teaching English to young learners. Consequently, if teachers were lack of competence in teaching young learners, it can be assumed that they are too lack of competence in assessing young learners.The objective of this study is to investigate how teachers carried out language assessment for young learners. Specifically, the aims of this study are; to identify teachers’ understanding of assessment in terms of purpose, aspect, and feedback of assessment; to identify techniques employed by teachers in assessing young learners; and to identify difficulties encountered by teachers during assessment process. This study is designed as qualitative and descriptive study. The research conducted in three elementary in eastern part of Bandung. Those elementary schools were chosen based on the assumption that they share similar features with many other public elementary schools. The features shared are: teachers must deal with a great number of students and English teachers come from various backgrounds (English and non-English background). Therefore English teachers from each elementary school are the participants of the research. The data for this study were compiled through questionnaire, interview and observation.This study reveals that respondents were well-informed of the benefit of assessment. Nevertheless, they were lack of understanding of how assessment should be carried out. Assessments conducted by the respondents were categorized as traditional assessment which is considered to be counter productive for young learners’ language development. Difficulties encountered by respondents during assessment process were mainly derived from a great number of students in their classroom.