The Impact of Dynamic Assessment of Critical Writing on Critical Thinking of Iranian Intermediate EFL Learners

This study intends to investigate the impact of Dynamic Assessment (DA) of critical writing on critical thinking of Iranian intermediate EFL learners. To fulfill this end, 60 Iranian intermediate EFL learners were selected as the sample of the study. The participants were assigned into two groups of experimental and control. After taking Preliminary English Test (PET), a critical thinking questionnaire was employed as a pre-test. The experimental group received critical writing techniques based on Dynamic Assessment but the control group received the instruction without Dynamic Assessment. DA is based on Vygotsky’s (1987) proposal of the zone of proximal development (ZPD), which highlighted the importance of interaction for developing independent performance. Individuals learn best when they work with others during cooperation, and it is through collaborative activities with more experienced people that learners learn and adopt different skills. The results revealed that the students gained higher scores in the experimental group than the students in the control group who underwent the interactionist Dynamic Assessment of critical writing. The study has some implications for material developers, test-designers, teachers, and students.