Language proficiency has an important influence on learners' ability to answer scientific questions a new joint study by Lancaster and Sheffield Universities has found. And this is particularly challenging for children from homes where English is not their first language -now a significant and increasing proportion of classrooms worldwide.
The changing nature of assessment, such as the Next Generation Science Standards, also brings about further language demands on those students. Providing English-language learners (ELLs) with equal assessment opportunities is proving particularly difficult and is, says the report, one of the most challenging problems in educational policy and practice.
