Interactionist vs. interventionist approaches to Dynamic Assessment¶

Theory · All theories
Evidence · 1 claim (1 for) · 1 study (1 qualitative), q2 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 1 claim rests on one study

Description¶

The article organizes Dynamic Assessment — a Vygotskian approach integrating assessment and instruction — into two mediation models. It states that "In interactionist approaches to DA, the learner's zone of proximal development (ZPD) is highly involved since the mediator assists the learner through interaction", with non-standardized, responsive hints and continuous individual mediation. In interventionist DA, by contrast, "the mediation is pre-scripted hints from implicit to explicit so it can be similar for all learners", using standardized pre-planned hints and cues. The study operationalized interactionist DA as the experimental condition and interventionist DA as the control condition in IELTS writing classes.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Requires a mediator/teacher who delivers mediation — interaction through teacher-learner dialogue for interactionist DA, pre-scripted implicit-to-explicit hints for interventionist DA.

Constraints¶

• The article notes interactionist DA mediation was constrained in practice by large class size (over 30 students) and limited class time, which did not allow extended and extensive mediation for all learners.

Target Learners¶

• Intermediate EFL learners preparing for IELTS, both young (under 22) and adult (over 22)

Target Learning Objectives¶

• L2 writing accuracy in IELTS General writing tasks

Claims¶

• Interactionist DA mediation in SCMC reveals learners' microgenetic movement through internalization levels within the ZPD [+W]

Related Theories¶

• Interactionist dynamic assessment grounded in Vygotsky's ZPD
• Vygotsky's account of mediated activity: three classes of mediators and the Zone of Proximal Development
• Dynamic assessment and the zone of proximal development as a framework for mediator-learner interaction
• Zone of Proximal Development as learners' responsiveness to culturally appropriate mediation

Examples¶

• Use interactionist DA to give learners more opportunities to interact and improve writing accuracy

Key Sources¶

• Kashef, L., Ghafoori, N., Valizadeh Oghani, A., & Mehrpouyan, A. (2024). The effect of interactionist vs. interventionist dynamic assessment on writing accuracy of young vs. adult IELTS candidates. International Journal of Language Testing, 14(1), 1–16. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1419474