Mediation and Learner Reciprocity

Abstract

The Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) is an effective tool for assessing language learners’ speaking ability. While it is commonly employed in institutional contexts, the OPI has been criticized for not granting due attention to the assistance that the tester offers to the learner. Dynamic Assessment (DA), rooted in Vygotsky’s theory of the development of human higher psychological functions, believes the use of different forms of mediation, when tailored to learners’ needs, enables learners to perform beyond their current level, thus providing insights into their emerging abilities. This study explores the use of DA within the OPI framework. Through a microgenetic analysis of the mediation-learner interactions observed in a series of mock OPI sessions conducted in Mandarin Chinese, we identified the mediation and reciprocity typological moves that are significant to learner development. The analysis showed DA’s potential for not only pinpointing areas of difficulty but also identifying the learner’s Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) and supporting their microgenetic progress. The findings indicate that DA would add an important, yet long neglected, dimension to the OPI framework.