The Effect of Dynamic Assessment on EFL Reading Comprehension in Different Proficiency Levels
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Volume two, Issue four
October 2012
The Effect of Dynamic Assessment on EFL Reading Comprehension in Different Proficiency Levels PARVIZ AJIDEH University of Tabriz, Iran NAVA NOURDAD Iran Bio Data: Dr. Parviz Ajideh is an Associate Professor in the English Department at Tabriz University in the Islamic Republic of Iran. His research interests include reading, testing, and translation. Nava Nourdad is a Ph.D. candidate at university of Tabriz. Currently she is completing her dissertation. Her research interests include Testing, Reading and ESP. Abstract The present study aimed at investigating the effect of dynamic assessment on EFL learners’ reading comprehension in different proficiency levels. 197 Iranian university students participated in six groups of this study. The design of the research was quasiexperimental. The results of MANOVA test revealed that while dynamic assessment had improving immediate and delayed effect on reading comprehension of learners in all proficiency levels the proficiency groups did not differ significantly in their taking advantage of this kind of assessment. Keywords: Dynamic assessment, Non-dynamic assessment, Sociocultural theory, Zone of proximal development, Reading comprehension ability Introduction Language testing and assessment have always been influenced by changes in language teaching methods. Looking back into the history of language teaching the methods can be classified into three consequent categories of language-centered, learner-centered, and learning-centered methods. As Kumaravadivelu (2006, p. 121) clearly mentions to meet their learning-teaching principle requirements languagecentered and learner-centered pedagogists opted for a product-oriented syllabus. But later emerging learning-centered methods such as natural approach and communicational approach moved toward process-oriented approaches to language teaching (p.134). He also adds that 101 | P a g e
Language Testing in Asia
Volume two, Issue four
October 2012
Unlike the product-based syllabus, where the content of learning/teaching is defined in terms of linguistic features, the process-based syllabus defines it exclusively in terms of communicative activities. In other words, a learningcentered pedagogic syllabus constitutes an indication of learning tasks, rather than an index of language features, leaving the actual language to emerge from classroom interaction (p.144).
As expected such changes in language teaching orientation did not leave the assessment orientation untouched and along with teaching methods their corresponding testing or assessment systems also moved from product-oriented to process-oriented ones. But still as a result of focusing on wide-spread and commonly used product-oriented testing the reason why some students perform very well in the class but cannot get high grades from the tests or many other details about their learning and test performance remains unclear for teachers because they have no access to the process of taking the test and the only data provided for them by pr
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