Computerized Mediation in the Instruction and Development of L2 Pragmatic Competence: A Dynamic Assessment Perspective

Abstract

Dynamic assessment (DA) breaks the traditional dichotomy between assessment and instruction by including mediation in assessment procedures ((Poehner Dynamic assessment: A Vygotskian approach to understanding and promoting second language development. Springer, Berlin, Germany, 2008)). The focus of DA is on how students or test-takers learn and change with mediation rather than what they can do alone. Traditionally, DA requires the presence of a person as the mediator, such as the teacher, to guide another individual’s or student’s learning. This human mediation is the focus of the majority of DA research. With the advancement of intelligent computing and its applications in language education, the boundaries between mediators and mediational tools can be crossed to facilitate language instruction and learning at any time and in any place. Against this backdrop, this study aims to expand DA research by applying pre-designed and standardized mediation via the computer, that is, computerized dynamic assessment (C-DA). It explores innovative and efficient mediational tools to facilitate second language (L2) development with a focus on L2 Chinese learners’ pragmatic competence. The study reported in this chapter centers on Chinese learners’ ability to comprehend implicature (i.e., implied meaning) with computerized mediation through C-DA. The mediation is modeled based on pragmatics research, and it serves as a metacognitive tool. In particular, the mediation aims to help L2 Chinese learners 1) notice and pay attention to both literal and implied meanings, and 2) understand indirect speech acts in Chinese. Participants’ test-taking processes were video recorded. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to let participants reflect upon their learning processes during C-DA. This chapter provides a case analysis of an intermediate-level Chinese learner’s interactions with C-DA and how she used the computerized mediation to improve her performance during the test. The chapter ends with a discussion on the current situation of pragmatic instruction in language classrooms, and talks about the potential of computerized mediation to facilitate the development of L2 pragmatic competence and to cross boundaries in learning environments and traditional teacher-student roles for ubiquitous learning of languages.