Iranian EFL Learners' Attitudes toward the Application of Different Models of Dynamic Assessment to Listening Comprehension Instruction

Subject Areas : Research in English Language Pedagogy

Mahshid Ghanaat ¹ , Fariba Rahimi Esfahani ² , Sajad Shafiee ³ , Mehrdad Sepehri ⁴

1 - English Department, Shahrekord Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord, Iran
2 - English Department, Shahrekord Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord, Iran
3 - English Department, Shahrekord Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord, Iran
4 - English Department, Shahrekord Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord, Iran

Received: 2022-03-22 Accepted : 2022-06-06 Published : 2023-02-01

Keywords: Dynamic Assessment, Computerized Dynamic Assessment (C-DA), Listening comprehension, Group Dynamic Assessment (G-DA), Interactionist Dynamic Assessment (I-DA),

Abstract :

Simultaneous evaluation of the impact of different types of dynamic assessment on EFL learners' listening comprehension has never been conducted as far as the related literature discloses. Most of the studies connected with the dynamic assessment and various language skills have focused on speaking and writing performance. The present qualitative study aimed to examine Iranian EFL learners' attitudes toward the application of three models of dynamic assessment; namely, Interactionist Dynamic Assessment (I-DA), Group Dynamic Assessment (G-DA), and Computerized Dynamic Assessment (C-DA to Listening Comprehension Instruction. For this purpose, the Preliminary English Test (PET) was administered to 140 Iranian EFL female learners in four English Language Institutes in Ahvaz, Iran, who were chosen through availability sampling, and 80 of them were selected as homogeneous participants of the study. Then, they were given a perception questionnaire intended to elicit their insights about applying the different types of dynamic assessment. Three parallel questionnaires were constructed, each consisting of 15 items, and asking the learners about the efficacy of interactionist dynamic assessment in the I-DA group, group dynamic assessment in the G-DA group, and computerized dynamic assessment in the C-DA group. The descriptive analysis of the respondents' answers revealed that the degree of the IDA, GDA, and CDA learners' positive attitudes towards the application of DA reached statistical significance. This finding implies that EFL teachers may need to deliberate on the positive influence of different dynamic assessment models on EFL learners' listening comprehension improvement and, therefore, provide them with more opportunities to interact.

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