“I Treat Everybody the Same, This is Fair”: Addressing the Challenges of Language Assessment in Culturally Diverse Learner Groups in ELT Courses in Higher Education

This primarily qualitative study aimed to investigate assessment and assessment literacy in culturally diverse groups of learners of English as a foreign language. Data were collected from 26 teachers in Germany through interviews and an online questionnaire. The datasets were analysed using inductive content analysis and percentages. The findings revealed that, although all respondents assessed learners in culturally diverse groups, their self-reported practices in considering students’ backgrounds varied. The multifaceted reasons for this differentiated treatment were explored, with these reasons being derived from either external or contextual constraints or linked to teachers’ personal beliefs. Interestingly, some culturally sensitive assessment practices could be observed, but these were not specifically reported as having been implemented intentionally. The majority of teachers emphasised that definitions of language assessment literacy should include assessment in culturally diverse groups and provided several examples of their training needs. These findings emphasise the importance of culturally sensitive assessment and have both theoretical and practical implications.