Dynamic Assessment and Iranian EFL Learners’ Knowledge of Passive Voice in Speaking Tasks

Subject Areas : آموزش زبان انگلیسی

Bahar Babaei ¹ , Iraj Montashery ²

1 - Lahijan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Lahijan, Iran.
2 - استادیارادبیات انگلیسی گروه مترجمی زبان انگلیسی، دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی واحد لاهیجان

Received: 2024-05-20 Accepted : 2024-08-18

Keywords: Dynamic assessment, Zone of proximal development, passive voice, Speaking skill, EFL Learners,

Abstract :

The present investigation aimed to examine the impact of dynamic assessment on the acquisition of passive voice in a speaking context among Iranian intermediate EFL learners. To this end, forty intermediate-level learners from a Language Institute in Lahijan were randomly chosen to participate in the study through the administration of an OPT. The study employed a pre/post-test design with two participant groups: experimental and control. Speaking proficiency was assessed using four instruments: EIT, TGJT, UGJT, and a focused communication task, all administered orally. The experimental group engaged in task-based interactions with their interlocutors while receiving dynamic assessment interventions. Conversely, the control group completed the same tasks, but their instruction focused on explicit form correction. After the intervention phase, participants in both groups were administered a post-test of speaking proficiency. This post-test utilized the identical four measures employed in the pre-test. A battery of statistical analyses, encompassing t-tests and ANOVA with Pearson correlation coefficients, was conducted to assess group differences. The results yielded statistically significant differences in mean scores between the groups. These findings suggest that Dynamic Assessment (DA) may be a more effective intervention strategy than the Focus on Form approach. The study concludes by exploring the broader implications of these results for language learning pedagogy.

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