Applicability of Peer-Dynamic Assessment in Crowded English Classes

One of the criticisms leveled against Dynamic Assessment (DA), with a robust theoretical foundation rooted in Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), has been its applicability in populated classes. The present paper aimed to explore the potentiality of Peer-Dynamic Assessment (Peer-DA), as a novel approach to DA, to ameliorate this concern. In order to achieve the goal, 15 third-grade female Iranian high school students, aged 15-17, were assigned into trios groups. After having been instructed to know how to apply DA procedures in their groups during three sessions, they worked on ten reading texts during ten one-hour sessions held twice a week. When the participants were trying to comprehend the texts and learn the embedded vocabulary within the texts, their interactions were meticulously audio-recorded. Next, a number of episodes were selected, transcribed, and microgenetically analyzed. It was revealed that not only does Peer-DA have the potentiality for diagnosing developing abilities but it also can improve the abilities in a much more efficient way. More importantly, it was demonstrated that if the principles and procedures of peer-DA be taught to L2 learners, they can be utilized by learners in large classes to facilitate language learning processes. The implications of the present study were discussed from a sociocultural perspective for ESL/EFL teachers and learners as well.

Keywords:

Zone of Proximal Development , Peer-Dynamic Assessment , Reading Comprehension , Vocabulary Learning , Microgenetic Analysis