Culturally Responsive Assessment in Teaching English to Young Learners: Valuing Home Languages and Identities

This study investigates how culturally responsive assessment (CRA) can be implemented in Indonesian primary English classrooms to better reflect and value learners’ home languages and cultural identities. In a context marked by linguistic and cultural diversity, traditional assessments often ignore students’ local knowledge and communicative repertoires, leading to disengagement and inequitable learning outcomes. CRA offers an inclusive alternative by integrating students’ cultural backgrounds and linguistic assets into the assessment process. Using a qualitative multiple-case study design, the research involved three Grade 4 English teachers and their students from public schools in Central Java, South Sulawesi, and West Papua. Data were collected through classroom observations, interviews, and document analysis, then analyzed thematically. Findings revealed three key themes: (1) Recognition of home languages and cultural identity in assessment tasks enhances learner engagement, (2) Institutional pressures and standardized expectations limit teachers’ ability to implement CRA fully, and (3) CRA fosters student confidence and more authentic demonstration of language skills. Despite contextual challenges, when learners’ identities were affirmed through assessment, they participated more actively and performed with greater ease. The study highlights the need for teacher training, flexible curriculum policy, and localized assessment strategies to support inclusive language education. It also calls for a shift in how success is defined—away from rigid standards and toward more meaningful, culturally grounded learning experiences. These findings contribute to the growing discourse on equity and inclusion in Teaching English to Young Learners (TEYL), particularly in multilingual and multicultural contexts like Indonesia.