144 / 2018-03-19 10:33:16

Promoting Chinese EFL learners’ reading ability through dynamic assessment

dynamic assessment, L2 reading, zone of proximal development, sociocultural theory

全体主题 > Principles and methodology of developing standards for language assessment

Dynamic assessment (DA) integrates teaching and assessment in mediator-learner interactions within learner’s ZPD to promote learner development. Research indicates that DA can provide information on the learner’s actual and potential levels of development, the latter of which is important for future learning and instruction. DA has been applied successfully in general education and psychology but is still a new topic in L2 education. There is a paucity of literature on DA in L2, among which very few studies involve learners of English in classrooms in China. Reading is a hidden and complicated process, which makes it difficult to assess. It was found in our teaching practices that learners did a lot of reading exercises but made little progress. What hinders learners in their reading? What can we do to help learners overcome their difficulties? More importantly, is our help effective? DA paves a good way to address these questions by combing teaching and assessment in one activity. Focusing on Chinese EFL learners, the present study aims to find out (1) whether DA can promote learners’ reading comprehension development, (2) what are the most effective mediational strategies in promoting their reading comprehension development, and (3) what are the main problems that hinder their reading comprehension development. A series of studies were conducted to prepare tests and identify a general mediational framework for DA. One-on-one interviews attuned to the learner’s needs were conducted between the mediator and learners after each test at different time points along a course of seven weeks of learning, The interviews were coded into two main categories in Nvivo, i.e., the learners’ independent performances and their mediated performances. Recurring patterns emerge following a meticulous analysis of the interview data. Comparisons of the learners’ performances across the tests indicate that DA can promote Chinese EFL learners’ development in their reading comprehension. Learners made improvement both in their independent performances and in their mediated performances. Almost all the mediational moves were effective in promoting learner development in their reading comprehension, but learners found it challenging to provide satisfying explanations for justifying their choice of answers, and sometimes also found it difficult to understand the target texts thoroughly. We will describe the main challenges for the participating learners as well as the main patterns of the mediational strategies. We will also discuss implications and offer insights for conducting future DA studies, particularly for those related to EFL reading.