seminar on Trends and and

Issues in Assessment
submitted to: Dr. Mushtaq Ahmad
submitted by: Umme Kalsoom (30)
M.Phil Education 2nd semseter

Topic: Diagnosing Learning difficulties of English medium students at

primary level
Content:
• Introduction
• Statement of the problem
• Objectives
• Mehtadology
• Significance
• Literature Review
• Importance of grammar in English language
• Difficulties in English language skills
• Factors influencing learning difficulties in English language
• Language barrires and cultural differences
• Issues and challenges
• Recommendations
• Analysis
• Conclusion
Introduction:
• Diagnostic assessment provides an opportunity to reflect on students
thinking, strength, and weaknesses. They can provide useful insight
into student learning, although interpreting the information they
produce requires a degree of professional judgement from teachers,
as there are many reasons, why students might answer a question in a
particular way (Black, & Wiliam, (2009).
• It is primarily used to diagnose student difficulties and to guide lesson
and curriculum planning.
• What is Difficulty:
• A difficulty in acquiring knowledge or skills, in particular any of various
neurodevelopmental conditions affecting either general intellectual
ability or the learning and use of specific academic skills such as
reading, writing, or mathematics.
• According to Cunningham (2005) the study defines learners with
learning difficulties as those who have average or above general
ability a difficulty in one or more academic areas such as spelling,
reading, or mathematics and associated processing difficulties such as
short term memory retention.
• There are four levels of learning difficulties:
• Mild Learning Difficulties: IQ is usually between 50 and 70. Physical
traits are frequently absent. They are able to communicate effectively
with others. They have high basic literacy and numeracy skills and are
able to go about their daily lives normally.
• Moderate Learning Difficulties: they have the ability to manage their
personal care and have an IQ range of 35 to 49. They have some
difficulty with communication skills.
• Severe Learning Difficulties: they have an IQ range of 20 to 34, major
developmental delay, and limited communication and verbal
comprehension skills. They require assistance in order to cope in
social circumstances.
• Profound Learning Difficulties: they have an IQ of less than 20 and
have a major developmental delay in all areas where a well-supported
plan and provision are required. There are significant cognitive
impairments as well as physical abnormalities.
 Statement of the problem:
• The purpose of this study to determine and address the unique
learning difficulites faced by English medium primary students have in
order to provide early intervention and specialised support to
enhance their academic performance and language competence.
• Objectives:
•To identify specific learning difficulties of English medium students at
primary level.
•To determine the students proficiency level in English language skills.
• Methodology
• This study is a qualitative overview to provide detailed and
comprehensive information about Eanglish learner’s learning
difficulties. The data was collected from various research articles and
literature review to find out the areas students need improvement in
learning English.
• Significance
• Diagnosing learning difficulites in English medium primary students in
order to provide early detection, professional support and enhance
educational outcomes.
• Timely identification of difficulites guarantees a solid base in language
proficiency, promoting self assurance and scholastic achievement, and
laying the groundwork for lifetime learning.
• Literature Review
• A person's capacity to learn can be affected by a variety of conditions,
collectively reffered to as learning difficulties. Individuals with
difficulties with learning may struggle with math, reading, writing, or
other academic subjects. They might also struggle with other
cognitive abilities like organization, memory, and attention.
• Many variables, including genetics, brain injuries, and environmental
factors like trauma or poverty, can contribute to learning difficulties.
People of all ages and abilities may be affected by them, and they can
be mild or severe (American Psychiatric Association 2013).
• Importance of Grammar in learning English language:
• In general words grammar can be describe as a set of principles and
rules that allow language comprehensionin an organized manner
(Andrews, 1997a).
• Grammar acts as a structural base for any individualso that he can
express his opinions, feelings, and interpretations with the help of
accurate structures and correct meanings. The meanings of the words
or phrases and themethod of using the language are scrutinized by
awareness of grammatical structures .
• In order to learn a language, the first step is to identify the sounds of
that language and then the most important step is to recognize and
understand the rules and structures that govern that language(Ur,
2011).
• Therefore, it can be said that learning a language means learning the
sentence structure of a language that cannot be omitted from the
grammatical research.According to Radford (1989) grammar consists
of a framework of linguistic capabilities that makes it easier for native
speakers to use their own language.
• Larsen-Freeman (2003) proposed a framework which shows the
relationship between form, meanings and use of the grammatical
structures.
Difficulties in English language skills:
• A instrument is conducted by Mohamad Ahmad Saleem Khasawneh, in
2019.
• The purpose of the instrument to measure
the relationship of language skills to students’
learning difficulties in English at the primary
stage from the students’ point of view.
• In the field of listening, the results showed that the students face a
real weakness in listening, especially the linking of sentences
T while
listening. The researcher attributes this to the teachers’ lack of focus
in their teaching on this particular skill and their focus on other skills,
in addition to the lack of a curriculum in which the teacher uses to
teach that skill. Listening skill largely depends on the teacher, who in
turn can be asked to possess this skill.
• As for the field of speaking, the results showed that all the averages of
this field came at a high level. The researcher attributes the reason for
this because students face a real weakness in conversation skills because
of their teachers not focusing on conducting conversations in English in
the classroom. In addition, students’ fear of making mistakes or feeling
shy while they speak in front of their colleagues is also another reason.
This indicates that the students’ speaking skills are still affected by many
problems. Students face great difficulty in speaking the English language
due to not being exposed to sufficient experience to develop this skill.
• In reading, the results showed that all the averages in this field came at
a high level. Reading difficulty is the most common learning problem
any where in the world. Reading difficulties of which dyslexia is one,
was initially known as 'word blindness' which “affects any part of the
reading process including difficulty with accurate and/or fluent word
recognition, word decoding, reading rate, prosody (oral reading with
expression), and reading comprehension”.The most common features
or indicators of reading difficulty include the inability to distinguish,
identify or separate sounds in a spoken word.

•
• As for the writing field, the results showed that all the averages in this
field came high. This is a clear indication that students face real
weaknesses in the field of writing. This difficulty is also known as
Dysphasia or Aphasia.It is assumed to be a neurological disability
which is characterised by impairment in written language ability such
as handwriting and the mechanics of writing, spelling, organisation of
ideas and composition.
• The researcher attributes this to the teachers’ lack of focus in their
teaching on this skill and their focus on other skills. In addition, there
are weak appropriate opportunities for the student to show his skill in
writing and expressing himself.
• Factors influencing learning difficulties in English language
• The study was conducted by Adiyani, & Susilaningsih (2018) at Public
elementary school SD Negeri 4 pendem. This research was conducted
with the help of the participation of all fifth-grade students and fifth
grade teachers.
• This study was aim to explore the factors that affect learning English
as a second language in Pakistan can be divided into following
categories:
• Internal factors: Internal factors, are those that develop from the
students themselves, including intellectual abilities, affection such
feelings and self-confidence, motivation, self esteem, maturity to
learn, age, gender, study habits, memory skills, and sensory abilities
such as seeing, listening, and feeling.
• External factors: External factors, which includes teachers, the quality
of the instruction, hardware and software facilities, teaching aids and
the classroom environment. Which includes both social and natural
settings, are examples of factors that are external to the students
(Nani & Evinna, 2019).
• Language barriers and cultural differences
• The fact that the students body of English language learners is not
homogeneous is by now well established. Their backgrounds are
different in terms of sociolinguistic, cultural, and economic
backgrounds. Despite this circumstance, the methods of instruction
continue to be uniform. The same textbooks and instructional strategies
are used by the students. They follow the same curriculum and
timeable and work through the same material at an equal pace.
• Furthermore, the goal of the majority of education policies is to provide
everyone with the same education, although this so-called equality in
education is not advised.
• Age and Educational Background
• Age is a significant factor in learning a second language, in addition to culture
and language. Studies reveal that learning occurs differently in children and
adults. Various age groups of learners require various approaches and
methods of instruction. Therefore, the methods used to teach languages must
be suitable for each group.
• The diversity of students in today's classrooms makes it impossible for a
teacher to assume that every student has the same or even comparable
educational background. One student might come from an extremely wealthy
family, while the one in front of him might come from a very low income.
Another might come from a well-educated household, but his friend's parents
might not have any formal education.
• Challenges and issues in diagnosing English learning difficulties
• The study was conducted in rural area of Districts Jaffarabad,
Sobatpur and Naseerabad, Baluchistan. This study was based on a
survey questionnaire and semi-structure interview conducted by
(Primary school students) concerning problems in writing deal with
English language. 240 students (Respondents) were different
government schools standing in the three districts of Baluchistan,
these three districts were selected randomly
• The aim of this study to examine the challenges and issues of students
in learning English as a second language.
• Lack of Expert Teachers
• A significant challenge in government elementary
schools is the practice of assigning a single teacher to
teach all subjects. This means that one teacher is
responsible for instructing students across various
disciplines, such as mathematics, science, English, social
studies, and more. This situation places a considerable
burden on the teacher, as they are required to possess
expertise and proficiency in multiple subject areas.
• The teacher must not only have a comprehensive understanding of
each subject but also adapt their teaching methods and strategies to
effectively convey the content to students.
• Furthermore, the limited number of teachers in these schools’ results
in larger class sizes, reducing the opportunities for individualized
attention and personalized instruction. Consequently, this approach
can potentially impact the quality of education and hinder students'
overall academic development.
• Lack of language exposure
• According to researcher, "English is difficult because student is not direct
involved in English speaking environment". Speaking ability is not given
much practical use in the curriculum, and neither teachers nor students
pay much attention to it. Speaking abilities are a struggle for the pupils
in school, which is acknowledged by both teachers and students. Even
while reading, speaking, and writing are also crucial to the development
of language ability, listening is the main contributor. Speaking is a simple
way to input a language during the speaking process, while listening
helps learners understand the language at various levels to build a
foundation for useful skills.
• In government high schools Naseerabad Zone, nor any efforts are
used to exposure the English language in the school. Almost teachers
and students use Urdu or native language in the school. If teachers
and students not communicate in English language so how students
can build speaking and listening skills in English language. Half of time
in learning a foreign language is spent listening, which is a crucial skill
for bilingualism.
• Lack of vocabulary
• All facets of listening, communication, reading, writing and speaking
benefit from having a tough vocabulary. Students are facing problems
to learn English because students have lack of vocabulary and they
cannot write the exact spelling of any words. Vocabulary is essential
for students to learn a language. The expansion of vocabulary is
openly taut to academic achievement. A vocabulary size is a good
indicator of their future ability to learn to read. Student' thoughtful
and knowledge of the domain are both supported by vocabulary.
Increasing a youth's vocabulary unlocks up a world of new
information.
• Overcrowded classrooms
• In the process of teaching and learning, the strength of students in class
plays fundamental to achieve effective learning goals. The less numbers
of students give a chance the teachers to deliver their lesson plan as
well as small numbers of students create less disturbance then the
overcrowded classrooms. It is seen in government high schools District
Jaffarabad, Sobatpur and Naseerabad Baluchistan, the whole school
contain one hundred plus students in each class. The most researchers
concur that the expected advantage can only be achieved in classes of
no more than 35 pupils. 35 students make up the ideal class size and
best learning outcomes produce.
• A teacher was explaining about large numbers of students, "teacher is
suffering problems in an overcrowded class, most of time went into
solving the attendance and listening student's absence issues. It is very
challengeable to deliver lesson among hundred plus students and listen
each students confusion regard the lesson".
• The overload classrooms, in general, make huge problems in the
learning and progress results of the students. A teacher's primary
responsibility in the classroom is to manage each student's activities,
encourage their talents, and provide opportunities for pupils to discover
their potential at higher levels.
• Insufficient Resources
• The use of audio-visual aids in teaching has become a popular and
effective approach to enhancing students' engagement and
understanding of the lesson. However, these aids are not readily
accessible in elementary schools for language learning, resulting in an
inadequate learning environment. The unavailability of basic teaching
aids such as flashcards, maps, photographs, models, filmstrips,
gramophone records, and tape recorders, severely hampers the quality
of English instruction.
• Some classrooms may not even have proper blackboards or
colored chalk to facilitate teaching. Without these essential
resources, it is challenging to improve the standard of English
education in these schools.
• Lack of parental involvement:
• Children’s learning is negatively impacted by parents’ lack of
interest in helping them learn the English language, as well as by
the environment and culture. According to one study, students’
learning efficiency would undoubtedly increase if they lived in a
proper and educated culture.
• For students, the family is the primary educational institution. Parental
attention and guidance are crucial for students to succeed academically
(Tresnati, 2016; Vivi Novita Sari & Sudirman, 2018). Based on theanalysis
findings, it was discovered that students who reported struggling to
learn English did not always receive their parent’s attention at home.
One reason parents pay less attention to their children is the family’s
financial situation. The majority of the parents of the students are
labourers, so they are rarely present when the students study at home.
• Recommendations:
• strategies to overcome the difficulties of English language learners at
the primary level include;
• Less strength of students in class
• The most researchers concur that the expected advantage can only
be achieved in classes of no more than 35 pupils. 35 students make
up the ideal class size and best learning outcomes produce.
(Kieschnick, 2018). A classes contain 20-30 students then it is very
easy for teacher to teach and students can understand the English
lessons. School need to divide students in little sections.
I
• Individual Education Plan (IEP)
• In some developed countries like the United States of
America, the individual Education plan for students with
learning difficulties was tested and found worthwhile. It is the
belief of this paper that the programme will equally be found
useful in Nigeria for the same purpose. Under the plan, the
affected children, their parents and specialised teachers are
fully involved. It is a programme that helps in the monitoring
of the students’ comprehensive verbal, written, motor and
social skills both at home and in school.
• Through series of assignments, affected students’ strengths and
weaknesses are clearly defined, which will in turn give room for
adequate planning of learning activities that will enable the child do
his best at school (Lyness, 2007)
• Effective Pedagogical strategies
• Effective pedagogical strategies used, For instance, educators may
need to tailor their teaching approaches to match the students’
current proficiency level, as not all learners possess the same
cognitive abilities.
• Some students may require additional support to grasp certain
things, while others may have a higher aptitude for learning and
assimilating knowledge more rapidly. Hence, it is essential for
teachers to take these individual differences into account and adjust
their instructional practices accordingly
• Scaoffolding method
• scaffolding method, which involves breaking down large tasks into
smaller steps to guide students in gradually building linguisttic
autonomy and communicating in writing or orally with little or no
help from the teacher.
• Seek and stick
• Seek and stick’ where students are just provided with an image, and
they need to look for the correct words and stick them in the correct
order.
• Spot the sentence’, in order to play this activity students will be
provided with the information in figure 7 and they will need to select
the right words in order to ‘write’ the correct sentence.
• This activity entails a higher proficiency of sentence construction
awareness, since they also need to choose the correct words, leaving 2
words out.
• Use of Technology
The audio visual techniques in schools like arrange a LED screen or
multimedia can help students to learn a language through pictures,
videos and audio. The technology is helping and making learning easy
for students.
• Analysis and Conclusion
• To sum up the study emphasises the necessity of giving language skills
a more balanced emphasis, paying close attention to speaking,
listening, reading, and writing in particular. All things considered,
creating a positive learning environment and bridging the gap
between uniformity and diversity in language education require a
thorough and flexible educational approach.