The Effect of Dynamic Assessment in Synchronous Computer-Mediated Communication on Iranian EFL Learners’ Listening Comprehension Ability at Upper-Intermediate Level (original) (raw)
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English Language Teaching, 2015
The present paper concentrates on a web-based inquiry in the synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC) via Web 2.0 technologies of Talk and Write and Skype. It investigates EFL learners' socio-cognitive progress through dynamic assessment (DA), which follows Vygotsky's inclination for supportive interchange in the zone of proximal development. Sixty adult EFL learners at upper-intermediate level were randomly assigned to the control and experimental groups. The participants in the experimental group were involved in dynamic assessment in synchronous computer-mediated communication for seven weeks. The results reveal that, through interactions in the ZPD, DA in synchronous computer-mediated communication lets us explore not only the actual level of learners' listening ability but also to diagnose and assess the potential level of their listening development.
Alzahra University, 2022
Framed in Vygotskian sociocultural theory, this study intends to examine whether computerized group dynamic assessment (GDA) through software has affected Iranian male and female learners’ listening comprehension ability. Data were collected through administration of listening comprehension pre- and post-tests among 140 participants divided into male and female learners in the experimental and control groups. There were 35 male and 35 female learners in each group of the study. Participants in the experimental groups were exposed to GDA in order to interactively work on the selected tasks of listening comprehension, and the teacher provided the necessary support as well. Quantitative analysis of the pre- and post-tests of listening comprehension among male and female groups was conducted through two-way analysis of variance and covariance. Results revealed that both male and female learners in the experimental groups significantly outperformed the learners in the control groups. However, there were not any significant differences between the gender groups’ listening comprehension ability in the experimental groups. Findings contributed to the effective employment of GDA through software in order to improve the learners’ listening comprehension ability, denoting that teachers are recommended to be aware of technological devices in paving an interactive way for learners to develop their language skills and sub-skills.
The Impact of Electronic-Based Dynamic Assessment on the Listening Skill of
2016
This study investigated the impact of electronic-based dynamic assessment on the listening skill of Iranian EFL learners to achieve this goal, a group of 40 female EFL upper-intermediate students(aged between 26 to 38 years old) from to language institutes were selected as the participants of the study after administering a Quick Placement Test(QPT)to a larger population of EFL learners (N=65).All of the selected to female EFL upper intermediate student were administered a Listening Test (IELTS Format) as the pretest and posttest to assess the participants' listening comprehension. Participants were divided in two control (N=20) and experimental (n=20) groups. The learners in experimental group were taught the listening skill via Dynamic Assessment through virtual electronic-based classroom and the learners in control group were taught listening skill via traditional dynamic assessment in a physical language classroom. A quasi-experimental pretest and post-test design was employ...
Language Testing in Asia
As a part of a more extensive computerized dynamic assessment (CDA) project delivered through a dedicated website, www.lingeli.com, this study explores EFL learners’ perspectives on an online listening comprehension dynamic assessment software focusing on inferential listening skills while trying to minimize the guessing effect. The study participants were 94 Iranian EFL learners selected through convenience sampling to participate in a 1-month dynamic assessment targeting EFL learners listening comprehension using the developed software. The researchers involved half of the study participants in semi-structured interviews held in their native language (Persian) to shed light on the pros and cons of the software. Six major themes emerged from the interviews’ content analysis, encapsulating participant’’ generally positive perceptions and some negative perspectives about the software. They perceived the CDA software as novel and interesting, stress-relieving, supportive, convenient, ...
International Journal of Applied Linguistics & English Literature, 2013
The traditional form of teaching speaking skill has been via face-to-face (FTF) interaction in the classroom setting. Today in the computer age, the on-line forum can provide a virtual environment for differential communication. The pedagogical system benefits from such technology improvement for teaching foreign languages. This quasiexperimental research aimed at comparing the effects of two instructional strategies: synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC) and FTF interaction. For this purpose, 60 EFL learners were selected from a private language institute as the control (n=30) and experimental (n=30) groups. A speaking test, designed by Hughes (2003), was administered as pretest and after a 12-session treatment the same test was administered as the posttest. The result obtained showed that participants taught based on SCMC fared better than those that were taught according to FTF interaction. Based on the findings of the current study, it is recommended that EFL teachers incorporate computermediated communication into their pedagogical procedures.
The study reported here explores whether English as a foreign Language (EFL) learners' preferred ways of learning (i.e., learning styles) affect their task performance in computer-mediated communication (CMC). As Ellis (2010) points out, while the increasing use of different sorts of technology is witnessed in language learning contexts, it is worth studying the conditions in which the most second language (L2) production would be accomplished. The participants were 40 advanced-level Iranian EFL learners enrolled at a language institute in Tehran. Learners' individual learning styles were probed by Felder-Soloman (1991) Index of Learning Style (ILS) and they were categorized into 8 groups, within 4 dimensions: Active vs. Reflective, Sensing vs. Intuitive, Visual vs. Verbal, and Sequential vs. Global learners. Then, the participants were given the opinion-gap tasks in 6 consecutive online chat sessions within a 3-week period. The participants' produced language was analyzed at two levels: vocabulary, and grammar. Independent samples t-test were conducted to check if the differences between the groups were significant. The results reveal that the Reflective learners and Visual Learners produced grammatically more complex and lexically denser sentences than the other groups, which suggests that learners' learning styles may affect their task performance in synchronous computer-mediated communication.
Exploring the role of online group dynamic assessment on L2 learners' listening comprehension
International Journal of Research Studies in Education, 2020
Group dynamic assessment (G-DA), rooted in Vygotskian sociocultural theory (SCT), provides a context in which mediational strategies can create a Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) whereby language learners manifest the capacities beyond their current level of functioning. The present study investigated the effect of online G-DA in developing the listening comprehension of English as a foreign language (EFL) learners. It also explored the mediational strategies that could foster the development of listening comprehension. To this end, 47 upper-intermediate EFL learners in a language institute were assigned to experimental (dynamic), and control (non-dynamic) groups, and were asked to take part in a pretest, posttest, and delayed posttest. To analyze the data, one-way ANCOVA and a mixed between-within subjects ANOVA were carried out. The results of the data analysis indicated that the dynamic group significantly outperformed the non-dynamic group. Also, the participants' listening gains in the experimental group significantly increased from the pretest to the posttest and delayed posttest. Further qualitative analysis led to the detection of 13 mediational strategies which could foster the development of listening comprehension in the upper-intermediate learners. Finally, suggestions are made to uncover and solve some of the problems L2 learners encounter during listening comprehension process.
Students' dynamic assessment via online chat
CALICo Journal, 2005
While there is ample documentation on the use of synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC) in the foreign language classroom for instructional purposes (
This study investigates two types of form-focused instruction on the acquisition of requests by Iranian EFL learners to determine the effectiveness of pragmatic instruction through asynchronous computer mediated communication (ACMC). Three groups of EFL learners, a control (n = 27) and two intervention groups, are included in this study. The intervention groups were matched with US-based graduate ESL Education students (as telecollaborative tutors) to undertake either an explicit or an implicit instructional treatment through ACMC for one semester. The explicit group (n = 23) participated in consciousness-raising activities, received explicit metapragmatic explanations and corrections of errors of forms and meanings. The implicit group (n = 24) received enhanced input and implicit feedback. A discourse completion task (DCT) was used to compare control and intervention groups. Furthermore, students' email communications with the graduate students were used to track their language development. Quantitative and qualitative analysis were used to determine the impact of instructional methods on EFL learners' pragmatic competence. Both treatment groups significantly improved, outperforming the control group. However, the explicit group performed significantly better than the implicit group on both the DCT and email communication measures. These findings are discussed with implications for using technology to teach and learn pragmatics.
Education and Information Technologies, 2021
The current study addressed the impact of computerized dynamic assessment (C-DA) on the TOEFL iBT listening comprehension test administered to Iranian EFL learners (n = 185) who took part in preparation courses on the TOEFL exam in some language centres in Iran. To mediate the test-takers with hints to process the listening questions, a computer software program was developed, and it was meant to produce the following: Actual, mediated, and learning potential scores. Findings of the study indicated that the actual and mediated scores led to significant different mean scores in various listening ability levels in almost all question types. Generally , results highlighted the significant positive impact of C-DA on improving EFL test-takers' performances in the monologue and dialogue tasks. Teachers were recommended to implement C-DA since the information gained from this sociocultural assessment mode empowers them to provide learners with more individualized and accordingly more effective teaching and assessment strategies. Keywords Computerized dynamic assessment · Listening · Covid-19 · Learning potential · Mediated · Actual scores · Monologue and dialogue tasks · Sociocultural theory of mind This study was conducted on the Iranian context. It is a good case that supports the contribution of computerized dynamic assessment to language learning and assessment. We hope the reader will find this contribution interesting since it continues hailing the positive aspects of dynamic assessment that advocates of language assessment have been defending.