The effects of interactionist versus interventionist dynamic assessment models on Iranian EFL learners’ speaking sub-skills: a mixed-method study
Department of English, Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Tehran (study conducted at the North Tehran Branch)
How they used Delve
Applied linguistics researchers at Islamic Azad University used Delve to code transcripts of one-to-one English speaking lessons line by line, condensing 82 initial codes into 33 focused codes through constant comparison to explain how two dynamic assessment models differently affected 30 Iranian EFL learners' speaking sub-skills.
“Then, the transcripts were uploaded to Delve software and coded line-by-line. In this process, such instances as learners’ linguistic errors, misunderstandings, self-corrections, and indications of learning strategies were examples of meaningful units and subject to investigation. The transcriptions of the interactions during the sessions were broken into excerpts. The researchers grouped the excerpts into 82 codes”
- Field
- Applied linguistics and TEFL; dynamic assessment models and speaking sub-skills in English as a foreign language
- Data
- Transcribed recordings of every one-to-one instructional session across the intervention, with 30 Iranian undergraduate TEFL students (19 female, 11 male, aged 21-35, Persian first language) block-randomized into interactionist and interventionist groups of 15, alongside IELTS speaking module pre- and post-test scores
- Approach
- Concurrent experimental mixed-method design with a two-group pre-test/post-test quantitative arm and an inductive thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2006) of session transcripts: data split into standalone meaningful units, coded line-by-line into 82 initial codes, then constantly compared and regrouped into 33 focused codes and on into categories and themes, with themes merged or split until refinement stopped changing anything
- Data types
- Observation
Abstract
Abstract Dynamic assessment has been proven to effectively promote EFL learners’ speaking proficiency, but its implementation in teaching speaking skills has been limited. One of the main reasons is that, thus far, very few studies have scrutinized the impacts of its two main models, interactionist and interventionist, on the speaking sub-skills of EFL learners. Instead of examining speaking as a general skill, this research focused on four speaking sub-skills, including grammatical range and accuracy, vocabulary, fluency, and pronunciation, with a concurrent experimental mixed-method design. To this aim, 30 undergraduate students from the Islamic Azad University, North Tehran Branch, were recruited through convenience sampling and participated in both phases. The quantitative data were collected from participants’ pre-and post-test scores in the IELTS speaking module, and qualitative data consisted of the transcribed recordings of the intervention sessions. The integration of the quantitative and qualitative results revealed that while both models positively affected EFL learners’ speaking proficiency, they differed in the extent and mechanisms of their impacts. The interactionist DA effectively improved grammatical range and accuracy, pronunciation, and vocabulary depth, and the interventionist DA enhanced fluency and vocabulary breadth more efficiently. The findings dissect the differential effects of DA models in one-to-one speaking lessons, offering practical insights for ELT practitioners and stakeholders.
Citation
Saeid Sarabi Asl, Mojgan Rashtchi, Ghafour Rezaie (2024). The effects of interactionist versus interventionist dynamic assessment models on Iranian EFL learners’ speaking sub-skills: a mixed-method study. Asian-Pacific Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-023-00237-x