Effects of Dynamic Assessment in a College English Classroom: Focusing on EFL Learners’ Writing Motivation and Strategies

The main purpose of this study is to examine the potential and effectiveness of Dynamic Assessment (DA) in the college English writing classroom in terms of writing motivation and strategies. In order to achieve this goal, the method of experimental comparison is adopted. The feasibility study of a DA mode was carried out on an experimental group of 33 students, while a traditional writing evaluation model was adopted for a control group of 35 students, over an 8-week period. For data collection and analysis, pre- and post-tests of the writing prompt and two questionnaires (writing motivation and strategies) were used to verify the effect of a DA teaching mode in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) writing classroom. The results indicate that the mediated intervention from a teacher and scaffolded help from peers in a DA classroom enhance students’ writing ability, enabling them to use more diverse writing strategies by improving their intrinsic motivation. Based on these findings, this study highlights a dialectical unity of DA as a development, as well as process-oriented activities and suggests some pedagogical implications.