Dynamic Assessment Approach Research Articles

On the Study of DA and SLA: Feuerstein's MLE and EFL Learners’ Reading Comprehension

This study attempted to extend the traditional understanding of reading comprehension assessment in foreign language contexts and to apply one of dynamic assessment (DA) approaches, that is, Feuerstein's Mediated Learning Experience (MLE), to development of Iranian EFL learners’ reading comprehension. To this end, a mixed methods approach was applied. Sixty eight EFL learners at Islamic Azad University were assigned to two groups of experimental and control. The results of the qualitative as well as the aggregate and disaggregated quantitative data analyses indicated that MLE intervention approach of DA was effective and exerted profound impacts on the learners’ reading comprehension.

Understanding the potential in elementary classrooms through Dynamic Assessment

This paper reports on a research project aiming to investigate a Dynamic Assessment (DA) approach to the development of academic writing for 7-year-old new immigrant English language learners in elementary classrooms. The research design entailed a case study methodology focusing on the application of iterative cycles of DAs aimed at improving students’ writing abilities in relationship with the development of metalinguistic awareness in the native (Spanish) and target (English) languages. Two third-grade ELLs and their teacher participated in the case study presented in this article. Findings indicate that unlike more traditional types of assessment, the DA approach more readily enabled the teacher to recognize and access the ELLs’ zone of proximal development and thus to create instructional means to support their learning. Both students demonstrated significant gains in their ability to write in English at the end of the DA cycle. Findings suggest that the DA interactions were helpful in increasing metalinguistic awareness, especially as it allowed for the explicit use of the students’ native language as a kind of parameter and therefore as a tool for thinking and for mediating the development of academic English in textual form. Also, DA emerged as a more accurate diagnostic tool to understand recent-immigrant students’ potential abilities in communicating in the target language than more traditional forms of assessment.

Validez predictiva e incremental de un dispositivo de evaluación dinámica sobre el rendimiento y el progreso en lectura

The present study focuses on establishing the predictive validity of dynamic assessment device of processes involved in reading tasks, in relation to school performance and progress of reading comprehension difficulties children (RD). We also analyse to what extent the results obtained offer additional information to the one provided by static assessment tests on reading comprehension or cognitive performance. With this aim, we used two external criteria: (a) the teacher´s assessment of academic performance and progress, and (b) the qualifications in the area of Language. The sample consisted of 60 students between 9 and 16 years who were applied the device. Dynamic scores showed significant predictive validity on school performance and progress. Likewise, dynamic scores showed a significant incremental validity in relation to the prediction based on static tests of reading comprehension and evaluation of the IQ. We discuss the possible causal mechanisms related to the dynamic assessment approach and the specific content of the activities as factors that could explain the results.

Cognitive Education: Constructivist Perspectives on Schooling, Assessment, and Clinical Applications

Our responses to the five questions concerning cognitive education that Robert Sternberg raised focus on the school, the learner, and applications to clinical settings.Considering the school and the learner, we emphasize constructivist theory and applications of learner-centered instructional and assessment approaches. Considering applications to clinical settings, we focus on cognitive remediation and dynamic assessment (DA) approaches that address the impaired balance of cognitive level and task requirement for people with psychoses and other cognitive or developmental disorders. Emphasis is on the goal of including these persons into communities of learners that will be able to benefit from cognitive education.

A Multiagent Dynamic Assessment Approach for Water Quality Based on Improved Q-Learning Algorithm

The dynamic water quality assessment is a challenging and critical issue in water resource management systems. To deal with this complex problem, a dynamic water assessment model based on multiagent technology is proposed, and an improved Q-learning algorithm is used in this paper. In the proposed Q-learning algorithm, a fuzzy membership function and a punishment mechanism are introduced to improve the learning speed of Q-learning algorithm. The dynamic water quality assessment for different regions and the prewarning of water pollution are achieved by using an interaction factor in the proposed approach. The proposed approach can deal with various situations, such as static and dynamic water quality assessment. The experimental results show that the water quality assessment based on the proposed approach is more accurate and efficient than the general methods.

Dynamic life cycle assessment: framework and application to an institutional building

This paper uses a dynamic life cycle assessment (DLCA) approach and illustrates the potential importance of the method using a simplified case study of an institutional building. Previous life cycle assessment (LCA) studies have consistently found that energy consumption in the use phase of a building is dominant in most environmental impact categories. Due to the long life span of buildings and potential for changes in usage patterns over time, a shift toward DLCA has been suggested. We define DLCA as an approach to LCA which explicitly incorporates dynamic process modeling in the context of temporal and spatial variations in the surrounding industrial and environmental systems. A simplified mathematical model is used to incorporate dynamic information from the case study building, temporally explicit sources of life cycle inventory data and temporally explicit life cycle impact assessment characterization factors, where available. The DLCA model was evaluated for the historical and projected future environmental impacts of an existing institutional building, with additional scenario development for sensitivity and uncertainty analysis of future impacts. Results showed that overall life cycle impacts varied greatly in some categories when compared to static LCA results, generated from the temporal perspective of either the building's initial construction or its recent renovation. From the initial construction perspective, impacts in categories related to criteria air pollutants were reduced by more than 50 % when compared to a static LCA, even though nonrenewable energy use increased by 15 %. Pollution controls were a major reason for these reductions. In the future scenario analysis, the baseline DLCA scenario showed a decrease in all impact categories compared with the static LCA. The outer bounds of the sensitivity analysis varied from slightly higher to strongly lower than the static results, indicating the general robustness of the decline across the scenarios. These findings support the use of dynamic modeling in life cycle assessment to increase the relevance of results. In some cases, decision making related to building design and operations may be affected by considering the interaction of temporally explicit information in multiple steps of the LCA. The DLCA results suggest that in some cases, changes during a building's lifetime can influence the LCA results to a greater degree than the material and construction phases. Adapting LCA to a more dynamic approach may increase the usefulness of the method in assessing the performance of buildings and other complex systems in the built environment.

Undergraduate Oral Examinations in a University Organic Chemistry Curriculum

This article describes the successful implementation of an oral examination format in the organic chemistry curriculum at the University of Toronto. Oral examinations are used to replace traditional written midterm examinations in several courses. In an introductory organic class, each student is allotted 15 min to individually discuss one pre-selected “named” reaction with the course instructors. To stimulate further learning, students must choose a particular reaction that has not been presented during lecture or performed in the laboratory. In upper-level courses, students review selected literature syntheses of either a drug molecule or natural product. The oral examination format provides a dynamic assessment approach that can be individualized to facilitate an in-depth analysis of student comprehension.

Dynamic Assessment and the Impact on English Language Learners' Reading Comprehension Performance

Abstract This paper reports the results of a research project aimed at studying improvements in English Language Training (ELT) university students' reading comprehension performance by applying the mediations of a dynamic assessment approach to instruction and assessment. In contrast to static assessments, in which correct responses are indicative only of the learners' current ability at a specific moment in time, dynamic assessment concentrates on the learner's errors which are studied in terms of the individual's ongoing development and learning using mediations to promote growth. Lev Vygotsky (1978) is considered the originator of the theoretical framework upon which dynamic assessment is based; it emphasizes the interdependence of learning that leads development and thus the interlocking of instruction and development. In this mixed methods study, dynamic assessment procedures were conducted with 10 ELT university students. Participants took part in a pretest-mediation-posttest design study. The devised pre and posttests had high reliability estimates. The mediation phase included three intervention sessions, each focused on a particular reading comprehension sub skill. The descriptive and analytic analyses of the results reveal dramatic, measurable progress in participants' reading comprehension performance.

Dynamic assessment, tutor mediation and academic writing development

Supporting undergraduate students with their academic literacies has recently been a major focus in higher education in the UK. This paper explores the value of tutor mediation in the context of academic writing development among undergraduate business studies students in open and distance learning, following the dynamic assessment (DA) approach that has been developed within Vygotskian sociocultural theory of learning (Vygotsky, 1978). DA is an assessment approach that blends instruction and assessment. The data, which came from a pilot study of a larger research project, consisted of text-based interaction between a tutor–researcher and two business studies students across various drafts of two assignments in line with the DA approach. This interaction was mediated by computers mainly through emails. The analyses of such interaction suggest that DA can help to identify and respond to the areas that students need the most support in (in this study, managing information flow). Finally, we argue that a learning theory-driven approach such as DA can contribute to undergraduate students’ academic writing development by responding to their individual needs.

Learning potential and cognitive modifiability

The relationship between thinking and learning constitutes one of the fundamental problems of cognitive psychology. Though there is an obvious overlap between the domains of thinking and learning, it seems more productive to consider learning as being predominantly acquisition while considering thinking as the application of the existent concepts and strategies to new tasks. This distinction acquires a new meaning in the context of the dynamic assessment (DA) approach, which has often used the notions of learning potential and cognitive modifiability interchangeably. An illustrative assessment study of 88 primary school students shows that not all students who demonstrate high learning potential reveal a propensity toward cognitive modifiability and vice versa. Educational implications for the design, selection and application of DA procedures are discussed.

Modelling of BP Texas City refinery accident using dynamic risk assessment approach

Process industries involve handling of hazardous substances which on release may potentially cause catastrophic consequences in terms of assets lost, human fatalities or injuries and loss of public confidence of the company. In spite of using endless end-of-the-pipe safety systems, tragic accidents such as BP Texas City refinery still occur. One of the main reasons of such rare but catastrophic events is lack of effective monitoring and modelling approaches that provide early warnings and help to prevent such event. To develop a predictive model one has to rely on past occurrence data, as such events are rare, enough data are usually not available to better understand and model such behavior. In such situations, it is advisable to use near misses and incident data to predict system performance and estimate accident likelihood. This paper is an attempt to demonstrate testing and validation of one such approach, dynamic risk assessment, using data from the BP Texas City refinery incident. Dynamic risk assessment is a novel approach which integrates Bayesian failure updating mechanism with the consequence assessment. The implementation of this methodology to the BP Texas City incident proves that the approach has the ability to learn from near misses, incident, past accidents and predict event occurrence likelihood in the next time interval.

Dynamic risk assessment using failure assessment and Bayesian theory

To ensure the safety of a process system, engineers use different methods to identify the potential hazards that may cause severe consequences. One of the most popular methods used is quantitative risk assessment (QRA) which quantifies the risk associated with a particular process activity. One of QRA's major disadvantages is its inability to update risk during the life of a process. As the process operates, abnormal events will result in incidents and near misses. These events are often called accident precursors. A conventional QRA process is unable to use the accident precursor information to revise the risk profile. To overcome this, a methodology has been proposed based on the work of Meel and Seider (2006). Similar to Meel and Seider (2006) work, this methodology uses Bayesian theory to update the likelihood of the event occurrence and also failure probability of the safety system. In this paper the proposed methodology is outlined and its application is demonstrated using a simple case study. First, potential accident scenarios are identified and represented in terms of an event tree, next, using the event tree and available failure data end-state probabilities are estimated. Subsequently, using the available accident precursor data, safety system failure likelihood and event tree end-state probabilities are revised. The methodology has been simulated using deterministic (point value) as well as probabilistic approach. This Methodology is applied to a case study demonstrating a storage tank containing highly hazardous chemicals. The comparison between conventional QRA and the results from dynamic failure assessment approach shows the significant deviation in system failure frequency throughout the life time of the process unit.

A Dynamic QoS Assessment Approach for Internetware with Uncertainty Reasoning

提出了网构软件环境下一种基于非确定性推理的构件服务质量动态评估方法.该方法基于贝叶斯网络,其主要特点在于考虑了用户对构件的QoS需求,可以预测在用户多种QoS需求下采用分级策略的构件服务能力,支持评估模型的动态更新,提高了评估结果的准确性.在自主开发的服务协同总线(Once-SCB)平台上进行了应用与验证,结果表明,该评估模型准确、有效,可以在用户多种QoS需求下为其选择最为合适的构件.;This paper proposes a dynamic QoS assessment approach for Internetware with uncertainty reasoning. The salient feature of this approach is that it's based on Bayesian network, and can correctly predict the component's service capability in various combinations of users' QoS requirements, especially to the entities with different service levels. Through online learning, it supports to update the Bayesian network dynamically and improves the accuracy of prediction result. The proposed QoS assessment model has been implemented in the developed Service Coordination Bus (Once-ESB). The experimental results show that it is effective.

Effective occupational therapy intervention with adults demonstrating agitation during post-traumatic amnesia

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of occupational therapy (OT) with adults demonstrating agitation and post-traumatic amnesia (PTA) following brain injury.Design: Single-system experimental design (ABAB) across subjects.Methods: Eight subjects were recruited during acute rehabilitation. Current OT intervention was alternated with the experimental Perceive, Recall, Plan and Perform (PRPP) System approach over 4-weeks. Therapy was conducted daily. Information processing capacity during occupational tasks was measured using the PRPP System of Task Analysis. PTA status was monitored with the Westmead PTA Scale.Experimental intervention: The PRPP System is a dynamic assessment and intervention approach that directly links results of cognitive task analysis with strategies for intervention. PRPP Intervention adopts an information processing approach that simultaneously focuses on task training, strategy training and strategy application within occupational performance.Results: Seven subjects significantly improved in their application of processing strategies during the PRPP Intervention in comparison to current OT Intervention phases. Large treatment effects favoured the PRPP Intervention. Subjects demonstrated improved information processing strategy use both prior to and following emergence from PTA.Conclusions: Occupational therapy intervention based upon the PRPP System of Task Analysis and Intervention improved subjects’ ability to apply information processing strategies during occupational performance when compared to current intervention approaches.

Dynamic Assessment and Remediation Approach: Using the DARA Approach to Assist Struggling Readers

There is currently a disparity between the way reading instruction is conducted in many of today's schools and the method by which students' reading is assessed. Additionally, traditional assessments often ignore learner differences in culture, ability, learning style, and background, while focusing on static results that involve little to no interaction between the assessor and the student. Recently, innovative reading assessments, such as Dynamic Assessment, have been introduced into the field. The authors of this article propose a program, Dynamic Assessment and Remediation Approach (DARA), that is a social-constructivist model of assessment and remediation. The use of scaffolding through dialogue allows for on-going assessment of students' reading in order to gain insight into the manner in which students process textual information. This model of assessment measures progress over time and provides remedial plans based on assessment results. DARA better suits the needs of students who are functioning in ways that are different from the “norm.”

Are Intellectual Processes Important in the Diagnosis and Treatment of ADHD?

It is widely accepted that there are two sets of behaviors associated with the diagnosis of attention deficit described as ADHD Hyperactive–Impulsive (ADHD–H) and ADHD Inattentive (ADHD–I) types along with a combined type that includes both dimensions. In this article we suggest that these types of ADHD should be assessed using a variety of measures and procedures but that psychometrically sound measures of basic psychological processes must be included. Assessment of the basic psychological processes addresses issues such as the role of “executive functions” in ADHD–H, the selective attention problems of those with ADHD–I, differential diagnosis of children with ADHD–H and ADHD–I as well as those with learning disabilities, and educational and behavioral treatment planning. This discussion will include references to previously published research papers but should also serve as a stimulus for needed research. Essentially, we suggest that ADHD–H can be viewed as a failure of what we (see Naglieri & Das, 2005) call Planning processing and ADHD–I is a failure of Attention processing. This discussion will begin with an examination of the connections between conceptualizations of these types of attention deficit and a theory of intelligence based on cognitive processing.

The effects of mediation in computer assisted dynamic assessment

Abstract This study examined the effects of the computer‐assisted dynamic assessment (DA) on cognitive performance as compared to DA with an examiner. The DA approach is based on Feuerstein's mediated learning experience theory and Tzuriel's DA approach with young children. A sample of kindergarden children (n = 60) were assigned to either a Computer Assisted (CA, n = 30) or Examiner Only (EO, n = 30) groups. The sample was randomly chosen from three kindergardens in a middle‐SES area. Initial intelligence level of both groups was controlled by matching their frequency distribution on the Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices score. The CA group was administered the Think‐in‐Order program, which is a multimedia program designed specifically for this study and is based on the Children's Seriational Thinking Modifiability (CSTM) test. The EO group was administered the CSTM test by an examiner. The findings revealed that intervention involving mediation processes in a CA dynamic assessment procedure was more effective in bringing about significant cognitive changes than mediation with only an examiner.

The Effects of the Observation of Dynamic and Static Assessment on Teachers’ Perceptions of Learners with Low Academic Results

The study contrasts and compares the effect of the observation of dynamic and static assessment approaches on teachers’ perceptions in the changing context of the South African Education system. The study was implemented in two schools on the Cape Flats, in Cape Town, South Africa. The Cape Flats is a historically disadvantaged area of Cape Town. From the results of this study, it can be concluded that the teachers in the experimental group, who observed a dynamic assessment, developed a more optimistic stance towards the learners than the teachers in the comparison group, who observed the static assessment battery. The teachers in the experimental group responded positively towards the mediational teaching style and process related aspects of the dynamic assessment procedure, whereas in the comparison group the teachers concerns about their learners were reinforced as a result of their low performance on the static test battery. The outcome of the study provides support for the use of dynamic assessment approaches within the South African context and reinforces the limitations and possible dangers of the use of static testing approaches with learners with low academic results.

Sources of Poor Performance on the Rey–Osterrieth Complex Figure Test among Children With Learning Difficulties: A Dynamic Assessment Approach

A dynamic assessment approach was used to examine the source of poor performance on the Rey–Osterrieth Complex Figure Test (ROCF) among 202 school-age children referred for learning difficulties. The ROCF was administered in the standard format and then in a structured format that highlighted the designs organizational framework. Manipulating encoding in this way improved recall to at least age-level for the majority of children. Those children who did not benefit from the structured format had relatively poor visual organizational skills. For most children with learning problems, poor ROCF performance stems from metacognitive difficulties; for a minority, the source appears to be more perceptual. A dynamic assessment procedure can enhance the diagnostic utility of the ROCF for children.

Reducing Test Bias Through Dynamic Assessment of Children's Word Learning Ability

This study examined the performance of preschool children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, both typically developing and with low language ability, on a word-learning task. A pretest-teach-posttest method was used to compare a mediation group to a no-mediation group. Children in the mediation group were taught naming strategies using mediated learning experience (MLE). Results indicated that typically developing and low language ability children were differentiated on the basis of pretest-posttest change and that dynamic measures (e.g., posttest scores of single-word labeling and modifiability ratings from the mediation sessions) predicted the ability groups better than static measures (e.g., pretest scores of single-word labeling, description, and academic concepts). These results suggest that dynamic assessment approaches may effectively differentiate language difference from language disorder.