The Effect of Dynamic Assessment on the Listening Skills of Lower-intermediate EFL Learners in Chinese Technical College: A Pilot Study

The dynamic assessment, based on Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory and the concept of zone of proximal development, has been considered capable of unifying assessment and instruction in the development of the assessee. This study aims to explore whether dynamic assessment can promote the integration of listening comprehension assessment and instruction while at the same time enhance students’ study in listening. Five second-year English majors from a technical college in an underdeveloped area of a coastal province in China took part in the study. The assessment adopted the cake format in which participants were firstly played a length of audio material and asked to answer comprehension questions and verbalize their comprehending process. The researcher then intervened to mediate the task. Afterwards the participants were played the audio material again and asked to retell. This process continued until the listener gained sufficient understanding of the audio material. An analysis of the data from the researcher’s notes, students’ notes, students’ verbal reports and reflective reports revealed that dynamic assessment can provide both the researcher and the participants a better understanding of the problems in listening. The data also indicated that the researcher’s intervention and mediation geared at participants’ problems helped construct the mediated learning experience for the participants. The conclusion is that dynamic assessment can realize the integration of listening comprehension assessment and instruction, and promote the development of students’ listening study at both macro- and micro-levels.