The Effects of Implementing Dynamic Assessment on Iranian Students’ Autonomy and Vocabulary Learning: A Sociocultural Perspective

The current study represents one of the first systematic and scientific attempt to explore the effects of dynamic assessment (DA) on learning factors in Iranian scholastic context. This research was conducted to examine the impact of DA on the autonomy and vocabulary growth of Iranian high school students. For this purpose, 60 male Iranian students from two public vocational high schools participated in this mixed-methods quasi-experimental research. In order to collect the necessary quantitative data, two tools were utilized: a questionnaire on student autonomy and a vocabulary assessment. For this study, participants were split into an experimental group and a control group. Prior to the academic term, the pretests, namely autonomy and vocabulary, were conducted. During the academic term, the experimental group underwent the sandwich format of dynamic assessment comprising three phases: pretest, mediation, and posttest. The control group underwent traditional teaching methods. Following the conclusion of the academic term, the posttests, namely autonomy and vocabulary, were conducted once more. The data collected from the pretest and posttests of this study were analyzed using independent samples t-test and its non-parametric equivalent. Additionally, a semi-structured interview was conducted at the conclusion of the instructional phase to gather their reactions regarding the practice of DA. The findings of the research showed that applying DA had a statistically significant impact on the autonomy and vocabulary growth of Iranian high school students. Moreover, the qualitative aspect of the research indicated that the participants viewed DA as a beneficial method for enhancing their autonomy and vocabulary acquisition. Of course, some of the interviewees also raised comments about the weaknesses of this method, including the ambiguity of the implementation process, the loss of the boundary between teaching and evaluation, the subsequent loss of value of grading, and reduced motivation for participation. The findings of this study have pedagogical applications for EFL learners in public schools, EFL teachers, and policy-makers in the field of English language education in public schools to improve the quality and effectiveness of English language teaching.