Mediating the Development of L2 Oral Performance through Dynamic Assessment: Focusing on the Metalinguistic Dimension

This chapter reports on a case study which investigated the potential of Dynamic Assessment (DA) as a pedagogical approach aiming to improve oral performance in an English as a foreign language (EFL) context. At the core of the pedagogical procedure was the enhancement of metalinguistic and metacognitive awareness. The study involved undergraduates (N = 30) at a lower intermediate level of proficiency studying English for academic and professional purposes at Universitat Politècnica de València. Drawing on Sociocultural theory constructs, a nine-week pedagogical treatment based on DA principles was designed and implemented to pursue the following aims: (a) to assess its value in relation to the participants’ oral performance; and (b) to investigate the participants’ thoughts and perceptions regarding various aspects of DA. In this chapter we focus on the metalinguistic dimension of the pedagogical treatment. The results suggest that there was overall improvement in the participants’ oral performance although there were differences across measures. The statistical analyses are discussed in the light of DA as an approach to L2 development. The chapter provides an analysis of the metalinguistic dimension which was an integral aspect of the DA procedure; the participants focused on a wide range of morphosyntactic, lexical and discourse features reflecting the students’ emerging language capacities. Finally, the rich data gathered through a variety of instruments, i.e., tests, transcripts of videotaped oral performance, interviews and questionnaires, allowed us to gain valuable insights into the participants’ thoughts and perceptions regarding DA. We conclude the chapter with a discussion of the feasibility of implementing group DA in an L2 context and some pedagogical implications of our findings. Within Sociocultural theory (SCT) studying and facilitating second language (L2) development are part of the same interrelated activity. This stance towards language learning, language teaching and research constitutes the essence of what Vygotsky conceptualized as praxis: ‘the dialectical [bidirectional] unit of theory and practical activity as an instrument of change’ (Lantolf and Beckett, 2009, p. 459). In this context, Dynamic Assessment (henceforth DA) represents a pedagogical approach which aims at actively mediating development while assessing learners and responding to their individual and/or collective needs. DA is an emerging area in the field of L2 learning and teaching, hence published research is still scarce. The study presented in this chapter is part of a wider empirical investigation; for reasons of space and thematic interest we focus here on DA and its metalinguistic component which was a pivotal aspect of our implementation of this pedagogical approach. The chapter provides a detailed analytical account of how DA was carried out in this study as well as an analysis of its contribution towards the participants’ oral development through both quantitative and qualitative measures. The participants’ views on DA are also investigated.