A comparative study of the effects of two approaches of dynamic assessment on the reading comprehension of Iranian EFL learners

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine and compare the impact of two Dynamic Assessment (DA) approaches, that is, Feuerstein’s Mediated Learning Experience (MLE) and Brown’s Graduated Prompt (GP) on Iranian EFL learners’ reading comprehension. Therefore, a mixed methods approach consisting of a semi-structured interview, a pretest, an intervention program, a posttest, and a transfer test was applied to assess and compare the efficacy of two DA approaches. One hundred and two EFL learners taking a General English course at Islamic Azad University were assigned to two experimental groups (MLEG and GPG) and one comparison group (CG). The participants in the MLEG took part in the MLE, and the participants in the GPG participated in the GP intervention program. The results of the qualitative as well as the aggregate and disaggregated quantitative data analyses indicated that both intervention approaches of DA were effective in enhancing the learners’ reading comprehension.