Assessment Accommodations for Foreign Pupils in the Light of Educational Justice - Empirical Research among Slovenian Primary School Teachers

Oct 15, 2026

Assessment accommodations for foreign pupils in Slovenia address disparities in starting points, language exposure, and schooling conditions compared with native peers. An empirical study using a representative sample of 697 Slovenian primary school teachers examines teachers’ perceptions through questionnaire data and evaluates differences by recent teaching experience and by generalist versus subject instruction. Results show higher awareness among teachers who recently taught foreign pupils, frequent continued accommodations beyond the two-year allowance, and generally fair views alongside uncertainty about whether the adjustment period should be extended.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Research Questions and Teacher Perceptions

Accommodations After the Two-Year Period

Fairness and Educational Justice

Assessment Accommodations for Foreign Pupils in the Light of Educational Justice: Empirical Research among Slovenian Primary School Teachers Mojca Žveglič Mihelič1 • The starting points of primary school pupils in a foreign country differ significantly from those of native pupils. In Slovenia, the knowledge of pupils who are foreign citizens (foreign pupils) may be assessed with different accommodations for no more than two years. The presented research conducted on a representative sample of 697 Slovenian primary school teachers addresses their perspectives, using a questionnaire, on assessment accommodations for foreign pupils. The following research questions are answered: 1) What are teachers’ perceptions of assessment accommodations for foreign pupils; are there differences between teachers who had recently taught foreign pupils and those who had not? 2) Do generalist teachers have different perceptions than subject teachers do? 3) What kind of assessment accommodations do teachers practice for these pupils after the expiration of the two-year period; do generalist and subject teachers act differently? 4) Do teachers perceive assessment accommodations as being just? We demonstrate that teachers who have recent experience of teaching foreign pupils are more aware of the need for assessment accommodations than those who do not. The majority of the teachers accommodate assessment and grading even after the two-year period, especially generalist teachers. Additionally, some of them have lower expectations with regard to achieving knowledge standards for these pupils. While the majority of the teachers perceive accommodated assessment as being just, they are unsure of whether the period of allowed adjustments should be longer. This raises the questions about teachers’ understanding of educational justice and the application of the principle of justice in practice. Keywords: assessment accommodations;, educational assessment and grading; justice in education; primary school teachers; pupils without Slovenian citizenship 1 University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Education, Slovenia; mojca.zveglic@pef.uni-lj.si. 132 assessment accommodations for foreign pupils in the light of educational justice Prilagajanje preverjanja in ocenjevanja znanja učencev tujcev z vidika šolske pravičnosti: izsledki raziskave med slovenskimi osnovnošolskimi učitelji Mojca Žveglič Mihelič • Izhodišča osnovnošolcev, ki so tuji državljani, se pomembno razlikujejood izhodišč učencev, ki so slovenski državljani. Preverjanje in ocenjevanje znanja učencev, ki so tuji državljani (učenci tujci), se v Sloveniji lahko izvaja zrazličnimiprilagoditvami, a največ dve leti odvpisa učencav slovensko osnovno šolo. V tem prispevku predstavljamo izsledke empirične raziskave, v katerismo anketirali reprezentativni vzorec 697 slovenskih osnovnošolskih učiteljevglede njihovega pogleda na prilagoditve preverjanja in ocenjevanja znanja učencev tujcev. Odgovarjamo na naslednja raziskovalna vprašanja: 1) kakšna so stališča učiteljev o prilagoditvah preverjanja in ocenjevanja znanja učencev tujcev in ali se glede tega pojavljajo razlike med učitelji, ki poučujejo učencetujce, ter tistimi, ki poučujejo le slovenske državljane; 2) ali se stališča učiteljev razrednega pouka o prilagoditvah preverjanja in ocenjevanja znanja učencev tujcev razlikujejo od stališč učiteljevpredmetnega pouka; 3) katere prilagoditve preverjanja in ocenjevanja znanja učencev tujcev učitelji izvajajo po pretekudveletnega obdobja, ko so posamezne prilagoditve preverjanja in ocenjevanja dovoljene, in ali se pojavljajo razlike med učitelji razrednega ter učitelji predmetnega pouka; 4) kakšno je mnenje učiteljev glede pravičnosti prilagojenegapreverjanja in ocenjevanja znanja učencev tujcev. Izsledki raziskave so pokazali, da učitelji, ki so med raziskavo poučevali tudi učence tujce, potrebo poprilagoditvah preverjanja in ocenjevanja znanja teh učencev prepoznavajo v večji meri kot učitelji, ki uče

FAQs

What does the study examine about assessment accommodations for foreign pupils?

The study investigates teachers’ perspectives on assessment accommodations and addresses differences by teaching experience and by generalist versus subject roles.

How does recent experience teaching foreign pupils relate to teachers’ awareness?

Teachers who recently taught foreign pupils show greater awareness of the need for assessment accommodations than teachers without such experience.

Do teachers continue accommodations after the two-year period, and how do they judge fairness?

Most teachers continue accommodating assessment and grading after the two-year allowance, especially generalist teachers, and many view accommodated assessment as fair, though they are divided on whether the permitted period should be longer.

Oct 15, 2026

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