The Application of Dynamic Assessment: Is It Worth the Effort?

Abstract

The emergence of Dynamic Assessment (DA) has been motivated by the inadequacy of conventional static tests to provide accurate information about the individuals' learning ability. To explore the effectiveness of Dynamic Assessment and conventional methods of teaching and assessing in writing, 45 female students were studied. These individuals were randomly assigned into two groups. To understand students' problems and needs better, individuals in both groups were asked to write reflective reports which mainly focused on their writing process. Analyzing the mean scores of these groups revealed the superiority of Dynamic Assessment. The students' scores in each group were also compared prior to the implementation of the treatment and after that, using two paired t-tests. The results revealed that unlike the conventional group, those in Dynamic Assessment group had improved their writing skills significantly. Such results implicitly revealed that writing reflective reports by itself cannot have any effect on the writing abilities of individuals. Some criteria for writing, as mentioned by the individuals in their reflective reports, were categorized: grammar, content, using appropriate and effective vocabulary, organization, spelling and capitalization. Further findings and implications for future research are discussed in the paper.