Lesson-1: The Need of Evaluation

The assessment provides accurate and meaningful decision-making for specific outcomes.  The word education is almost synonymous with the word evaluation.  Various types of evaluations serve a variety of purposes. The assessment and measurement of acculturative stress are important because:

• Research highlights the adverse effects on students’ social-emotional and psychological well-being that directly impact learning outcomes.
• Perceptions and realities of equity or the lack thereof pose a threat to the learning process.
• Equity is often part of a larger narrative of inclusion. A measurement of the outcomes, when lack of equity is perceived is important in understanding practical applications of cultural responsiveness.
• Educators desire a comprehensive system for applying cultural responsiveness to areas of planning, designing, and teaching.

Cultural responsiveness should be multifaceted and targeted to the psychological issue of marginalization, a construct that directly impacts one’s ability to socialize, think, and perceive effectively.

The evaluation of acculturative stress consists of several key elements. Effective identification and evaluation of acculturative stress are critical to understanding how culturally responsive practitioners employ the most effective techniques.  Effective measures seem to be elusive. 

The truth is, that assessments are a given in the educational spaces but regularly fail to explore the role of variables that hold the key to effective culturally responsive teaching. The overarching aim of evaluating acculturative stress is to provide a deeper understanding of cultural responsiveness and its application in educational environments.