Dynamic Assessment Training and Mediational Strategies of EFL Student Mediators

Grounded in Vygotsky's sociocultural theory of mind, dynamic assessment (DA) procedures integrate assessment and instruction into one unified activity. Mediation as the core concept of DA is defined as the assistance and the feedback offered by the mediator to the learners while engaging in the process of assessment. This study aimed at addressing the effect of DA training on the meditational moves of student mediators regarding a writing accuracy task in small groups in an EFL classroom. A multiple case study design was used in this study. Five students underwent DA training during which they were exposed to a large classroom DA by a teacher mediator followed by basic theoretical underpinnings of DA as well as mock DA practice and discussion. Data were collected though video records of DA training workshops and Group Dynamic Assessment sessions. Additionally, stimulated recall was used to help student mediators reflect on the interactions. Language-related episodes were used for data analysis. The findings showed that DA training resulted in qualitative and quantitative changes in the meditational moves of student mediators, which calls for incorporating of small group DA as an essential complementary to large classroom DA and learner-centered approaches to teaching and assessment in the EFL classrooms.