Students may draw on a set of life experiences to make inferences about their work and their world that is different from the set of experiences assumed by those in power (teachers, principals, test makers). (For example, a student might be asked to describe an experience with live theater, when the student has never seen a play, even on TV. The student then latches onto the word “live” and interprets the question based only on that word<
>) This can affect students’ self-esteem and the way they are perceived as successful or unsuccessful by others.