Assessing Second Language Learners’ Written Texts: An Interventionist and Interactionist Approach to Dynamic Assessment

Abstract

Dynamic assessment is commonly viewed as an approach which integrates both teaching and assessment activities at the same time, and is generally classified into two categories: interventionist and interactionist. While interventionist approach is used in computer-based assessment and is well adapted to large-scale assessment, the interactionist approach is said to be more in line with Vygotsky’s concept of the zone of proximal development, mostly with regards to its qualitative orientation, where the aim of the individualised tutoring is to address learners’ issues in a highly flexible way. Following a brief presentation of the main approaches to dynamic assessment, this paper proposes a web-based application based on interventionist as well as interactionist approaches in order to assess unrestricted written language of learners of French. Based on a preliminary use of this web-based application, strengths and limitations of this work-in-progress are discussed.

Paper presentation

Thouësny, S. (2010). “Assessing Second Language Learners’ Written Texts: An Interventionist and Interactionist Approach to Dynamic Assessment”. Paper presentation. ED-MEDIA 2010 World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia & Telecommunications, 28-JUN-10 – 02-JUL-10, Toronto, Canada.

Publication

Thouësny, S. (2010). Assessing Second Language Learners’ Written Texts: An Interventionist and Interactionist Approach to Dynamic Assessment. In Proceedings of the World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia and Telecommunications (EDMEDIA), 28-JUN-10 – 02-JUL-10, Toronto, Canada, 2010.(pp. 3517-3522). Chesapeake, VA: AACE .