Dynamic Assessment and the Impact on English Language Learners' Reading Comprehension Performance
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Volume two, Issue two
May 2012
Dynamic Assessment and the Impact on English Language Learners’ Reading Comprehension Performance JILA NAEINI Department of English Language, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University – Tehran, Iran EMILY DUVALL University of Idaho, Coeur d'Alene, US Bio Data: Jila Naeini is a PhD candidate at Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Campus in Iran and she is the ELT faculty member at AKIAU. She has been lecturing at universities in Iran for over 6 years. She has special interest in “assessment.” Emily Duvall has a PhD from Pennsylvania State University and is currently at the University of Idaho where she is Assistant Professor of Curriculum & Instruction, Assistant Professor of Neuroscience and Director, Northwest Inland Writing Project. Abstract This paper reports the results of a research project aimed at studying improvements in English Language Training (ELT) university students’ reading comprehension performance by applying the mediations of a dynamic assessment approach to instruction and assessment. In contrast to static assessments, in which correct responses are indicative only of the learners’ current ability at a specific moment in time, dynamic assessment concentrates on the learner’s errors which are studied in terms of the individual’s ongoing development and learning using mediations to promote growth. Lev Vygotsky (1978) is considered the originator of the theoretical framework upon which dynamic assessment is based; it emphasizes the interdependence of learning that leads development and thus the interlocking of instruction and development. In this mixed methods study, dynamic assessment procedures were conducted with 10 ELT university students. Participants took part in a pretest-mediationposttest design study. The devised pre and posttests had high reliability estimates. The mediation phase included three intervention sessions, each focused on a particular reading comprehension sub skill. The descriptive and analytic analyses of the results reveal dramatic,
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Language Testing in Asia
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Volume two, Issue two
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Keywords: assessment, dynamic assessment, alternative assessment, static assessment, English language learners Introduction Although language testing is one of the inseparable components of instructional language programs, the high stakes nature of the tests administered at schools and most educational settings have been criticized as responsible for narrowing the school curriculum since they direct teachers to focus only on the content included in the exams (Shepard, 2000). High stake tests have also been criticized for affecting the methodology that teachers apply in classrooms; according to Gipps (1994), high stakes tests affect the scope and types of instructional materials that teacher use in classes. In addition, student learning in high stakes contexts is superficial (Crooks, 1988) and students are said to be passive recipients in
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