ERIC Number: EJ1477107
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Apr
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: EISSN-2158-2440
Available Date: 0000-00-00
Enhancing Chinese EFL Learners' Listening Inferential Ability through Dynamic Assessment
Xue Geng1; Yaru Meng2
SAGE Open, v15 n2 2025
Dynamic assessment (DA), based on Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory, integrates instruction and assessment into a single activity through interactive dialog between the mediator and learner to promote development. This research utilized the interactionist DA to assess and enhance five types of listening inferential abilities of Chinese EFL learners. Micro-genetic analysis was used to track the developmental trajectory. The study compared four students' independent and mediated performances across the pre-test, post-test, and transfer test. Results showed that DA positively influenced the students' listening inferential abilities, with all five inference types showing varying levels of improvement after DA. The findings can be grouped into three primary categories: (1) Students demonstrated the most significant enhancement in thematic inference during both the post-test and transfer test; (2) Students faced challenges with predictive and motivational inference; (3) Although progress in the transfer test remained below average, there was notable advancement in conversational implicature in the post-test. Conversely, the situation with attitudinal inference showed the opposite trend. This study demonstrated that implementing DA could offer a nuanced understanding of EFL learners' listening inferential abilities and provide valuable empirical support for the use of DA in future foreign language classroom instruction.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Student Evaluation, Evaluation Methods, Inferences, Listening Skills, Language Tests, Undergraduate Students, Student Attitudes
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: China
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Test of English as a Foreign Language
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1Xi’an Jiaotong University, China; 2Xi’an University of Posts and Telecommunications, Shaanxi, China