The Impact of Dynamic Assessment on Secondary School EFL Learners’ Speaking Skill

Abstract

Dynamic assessment based on Vygotsky's sociocultural theory has recently begun to be used in the field of second language acquisition and learning. Thus, this study aims to investigate the effect of dynamic assessment on the speaking skills of secondary school EFL learners. Regarding the gap in the literature, secondary school students were included in the current study. Following a mixed method, this study includes both qualitative and quantitative data. The data consists of speaking tests, an open-ended questionnaire, and an unstructured interview. 10 secondary school EFL learners participated in the study and the participants were divided into two groups: experimental and control group. The study consists of three stages: Pretest- DA Speaking Tests- and Posttest. Participants’ speaking skills were assessed based on their narration of short English stories. At the end of the whole process, the scores obtained as a result of the tests were compared statistically. Quantitative data results proved that the experimental group displayed better development in speaking skills than the control group. The researcher also gave an open-ended questionnaire to the experienced teacher and asked him to evaluate the progress of the participants. The teacher's answers were also in line with the quantitative data and indicated that the experimental group performed better. In the last stage, unstructured interviews were conducted with the experimental group participants to evaluate the process. At the end of these interviews, it was concluded that the participants were satisfied with the process and that the process positively affected their development.