Exploring The Mechanism Of Interactionist Dynamic Assessment For Chinese EFL Learners’ Reading Comprehension Performance

With an attempt to go beyond the observable phenomena and reveal the underlying causes of learners’difficulties and their potentials to deal with these difficulties in reading comprehension,this study probes into the mechanism of interactionist dynamic assessment in college EFL learners’reading comprehension process.The main purpose of the study is to investigate the realization of learners’learning potential under the influence of DA and to identify recurring patterns in how mediation functions to structure the mediator-learner moves during the interactive DA sessions.Following the sociocultural theory（SCT）-based DA framework,this study implemented a mixed-method design to attain a comprehensive view of the interactionist DA process.Priority was given to the microgenetic analysis,a key sociocultural analytical method which is best suited to observe reading comprehension development through dialogic interactions between the mediator and learner.After the pilot study conducted to determine learners’problem areas and modify mediational prompts,the main study was carried out in the pre-test,mediation,and post-test paradigm within three stages for six participants from first-grade non-English majors in the researcher’s university.The entire study took place in the summer vacation within a six-week period(from July 2^nd to August 12^th).StageⅠandⅢwas administered in a non-dynamic way to check the overall performances before and after the mediation treatment.StageⅡ,as the core part of the whole research,incorporated two sections:Mediated Learning Experience Taxonomy（MLET）treatment and Enrichment Program（EP）.For the MLET sessions,the mediator met with each participant individually once a week to provide them with in-depth reading mediations in need.As for the EP sessions in a focus group format,they involved dialogical interactions with the mediator and additional mediational resources like peer mediators,dictionaries and handouts.Finally,semi-structured interviews with the six participants were conducted to collect supplementary evidences for further analysis of their achievements during the reading comprehension process.All the recorded data of dialogues and interviews were transcribed and analyzed in a microgenetic way.Learners’pre-and post-test scores were calculated and compared quantitatively via the Learning Potential Score（LPS）formula to operationalize the participants’learning potential.The research findings of the present study indicated that:1)DA helped participants to realize their learning potentials and to make a satisfactory improvement in reading comprehension;2)Six types of mediational strategies including Request for learners’self-verification;Reminder of directions;Identifying specific problem areas;Metalinguistic clue;Providing correct response;Providing explanations were extracted from the mediator-learner interactions and meanwhile five major types of learners’response moves were also distilled as Responding incorrectly;Requesting for additional assistance;Incorporating feedback;Offering explanations and Using mediator as a resource.These meaningful and productive mediator-learner moves were great indictors of the nurturing effects of mediation for learners’active engagement and improvement of reading comprehension ability.3)learners held a positive attitude towards the helpfulness of interactionist DA in their reading comprehension performance.These findings added insightful information regarding learners’reading comprehension ability which was usually unobservable in the traditional assessment.Concludingly,the current study has proved that DA is a powerful tool in helping the mediator to achieve the goal of unifying assessment with instruction so as to promote Chinese EFL learners’reading comprehension development.It is expected to contribute some valuable theoretical and pedagogical implications for L2 DA research and teaching practice.