Concurrent Versus Cumulative Group Dynamic Assessment: Effects on Iranian EFL Learners' Interlanguage Pragmatic Competence from a Microgenetic Perspective

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Arak University, Arak, Iran.

Abstract

Although dynamic assessment (DA) has shown promise in fostering interlanguage pragmatic (ILP) competence, empirical comparisons of concurrent and cumulative group dynamic assessment (G-DA) remain limited, particularly regarding speech act production across proficiency levels using microgenetic analysis. This explanatory sequential mixed-methods study addresses these gaps by investigating the efficacy of concurrent and cumulative G-DA in enhancing the ILP competence of Iranian English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) learners at pre-intermediate, intermediate, and upper-intermediate levels, focusing on requests, refusals, and compliment responses. To this end, 90 Iranian EFL learners were randomly assigned to nine groups (10 learners each): three concurrent G-DA groups (n = 30), three cumulative G-DA groups (n = 30), and three control (non-GDA) groups (n = 30), with each condition including learners from all three proficiency levels. MANOVA, one-way ANOVA, and Scheffé post-hoc tests revealed significant improvements in both G-DA groups compared to the non-GDA groups (p < 0.05). Concurrent G-DA yielded superior outcomes, particularly among pre-intermediate learners (η² = 0.48-0.58), followed by intermediate learners; gains were smaller at upper-intermediate levels, suggesting a ceiling effect. Microgenetic analyses of audio-recorded collaborative dialogues further illustrated how dialogic mediation in concurrent G-DA promoted greater pragmatic awareness and self-regulation, whereas cumulative G-DA provided more structured support suited to lower-proficiency learners. The findings highlight the importance of tailoring mediation to proficiency levels to optimize pragmatic development and offer practical implications for EFL instruction.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Copyright © 2026 The Author(s). Published by the Faculty of Persian Literature and Foreign Languages at the University of Mazandaran. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) license.

References

Aljaafreh, A., & Lantolf, J. P. (1994). Negative feedback as regulation and second language learning in the zone of proximal development. The Modern Language Journal, 78(4), 465-483. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.1994.tb02064.x
Amarien, N (1997). Interlanguage pragmatics: A study of the refusal strategies of Indonesian speakers speaking English. TEFLIN Journal, 8(1), 1-144.
Azizi, Z., & Namaziandost, E. (2023). Implementing peer-dynamic assessment to cultivate Iranian EFL learners’ interlanguage pragmatic competence: A mixed-methods approach. International Journal of Language Testing, 13(1), 18-43. https://doi.org/10.22034/ijlt.2022.345372.1171
Bachman, L. F., & Palmer, A. S. (1996). Language testing in practice: Designing and developing useful language tests. Oxford University Press.
Bardovi-Harlig, K. (2001). Evaluating the empirical evidence: Grounds for instruction in pragmatics? In Pragmatics in language teaching (pp. 13-32). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139524797.005
Bardovi-Harlig, K. (2013). Developing L2 pragmatics. Language Learning, 63(1), 68-86. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9922.2012.00738.x
Behnam, B., & Amizadeh, N. (2011). A comparative study of the compliments and compliment responses between English and Persian TV interviews. 3L: Language, Linguistics, Literature, 17(1), 65-78.
Davin, K. J. (2011). Group dynamic assessment in an early foreign language learning program: Tracking movement through the zone of proximal development [Doctoral dissertation, University of Pittsburgh]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.
Davin, K. J., & Donato, R. (2013). Student collaboration and teacher-directed classroom dynamic assessment: A complementary pairing. Foreign Language Annals, 46(1), 5-22. https://doi.org/10.1111/flan.12012
De Costa, P. I. (2007). Review of Sociocultural theory and the genesis of second language development. Applied Linguistics, 28(3), 477-480. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amm027
Donato, R. (1994). Collective scaffolding in second language learning. In J. P. Lantolf & G. Appel (Eds.), Vygotskian approaches to second language research (pp. 33–56). Ablex Publishing.
Hutchby, I., & Wooffitt, R. (2008). Conversation analysis (2nd ed.). Polity.
Jalilifar, A. (2009). Request strategies: Cross-sectional study of Iranian EFL learners and Australian native speakers. English Language Teaching, 2(1), 46-61. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v2n1p46
Kao, Y. T. (2022). Effects of group dynamic assessment on L2 Chinese learners' literacy development: Learners' responsiveness to interactive mediation. Applied Linguistics Review, 13(5), 843-871. https://doi.org/10.1515/applirev-2019-0077
Kasper, G., & Rose, K. R. (2002) Pragmatic development in a second language. Language Learning, 52 (Suppl 1), 1-352. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-1770.2002.tb00022.x
Lantolf, J. P. (2000). Sociocultural theory and second language learning. Oxford University Press.
Lantolf, J. P., Thorne, S. L., & Poehner, M. E. (2015). Sociocultural theory and second language development. In B. VanPatten & J. Williams (Eds.), Theories in second language acquisition: An introduction (2nd ed., pp. 207–226). Routledge.
Lin, M. F. (2014). An interlanguage pragmatic study on Chinese EFL learners' refusal: Perception and performance. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 5(3), 642-650. https://doi.org/10.4304/jltr.5.3.642-653
Mitchell, R., & Myles, F. (1998). Second language learning theories. Arnold. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203770658
Olson, C. L. (1976). On choosing a test statistic in multivariate analysis of variance. Psychological Bulletin, 83(4), 579-586. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.83.4.579
Poehner, M. E. (2009). Group dynamic assessment: Mediation for the L2 classroom. TESOL Quarterly, 43(3), 471-491. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1545-7249.2009.tb00245.x
Qian, T., Sha, S., & Wu, S. (2024). Pragmatic transfer in second language acquisition in intercultural communication. Journal of Education, Humanities and Social Sciences, 26, 117-123. https://doi.org/10.54097/0jqsns16
Qin, T., & Van Compernolle, R. A. (2021). Computerized dynamic assessment of implicature comprehension in L2 Chinese. Language Learning & Technology, 25(2), 55-74.
Rahmani, P., Ebadi, S., & Eslami, Z. R. (2025) The impact of mobile-mediated dynamic assessment on EFL learners’ pragmatic competence: The speech act of disagreement. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 38(3), 421-448. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2025.2472062
Ramazanpour, R., Amouzadeh, M., & Rezaei, H. (2025). A discourse-pragmatic study of in & ân (this & that) in daily Persian conversations. Language Related Research, 13(2), 587-621. https://doi.org/10.52547/LRR.13.2.19
Rezai, A. (2023). Cultivating interlanguage pragmatic comprehension through concurrent and cumulative group dynamic assessment: A mixed-methods study. Asian-Pacific Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education, 8(1), 1-25. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-022-00179-w
Sahragard, R., & Javanmardi, F. (2011). English speech act realization of “Refusals” among Iranian EFL learners. Cross-Cultural Communication, 7(2), 181-198. https://doi.org/10.3968/j.ccc.1923670020110702.021
Shakki, F., Naeini, J., Mazandarani, O., & Derakhshan, A. (2023). A meta-analysis on the instructed second language pragmatics for the speech acts of apology, request, and refusal in an Iranian EFL context. Language Related Research, 13(5), 461-510. https://doi.org/10.52547/LRR.13.6.15
Sharifian, F. (2005). The Persian cultural schema of shekasteh-nafsi: A study of compliment responses in Persian and Anglo-Australian speakers. Pragmatics & Cognition, 13(2), 337-361. https://doi.org/10.1075/pc.13.2.05sha
Swain, M. (2000). The output hypothesis and beyond: Mediating acquisition through collaborative dialogue. In J. P. Lantolf (Ed.), Sociocultural theory and second language learning (pp. 97–114). Oxford University Press.
Taguchi, N. (2006). Analysis of appropriateness in a speech act of request in L2 English. Pragmatics, 16(4), 513-533. https://doi.org/10.1075/prag.16.4.05tag
Taguchi, N. (2019). Introduction. In N. Taguchi (Ed.), The Routledge handbook of second language acquisition and pragmatics (pp. 1–14). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351164085-1
Tajeddin, Z., & Tayebipour, F. (2012). The effect of dynamic assessment on EFL learners’ acquisition of request and apology. The Journal of Teaching Language Skills, 4(2), 88-118. https://doi.org/10.22099/jtls.2012.499
Tanck, S. (2002). Speech act sets of refusal and complaint: A comparison of native and non-native English speakers' production. TESOL Working Papers, 4(2), 1-22.
Thomas, J. (1983). Cross-cultural pragmatic failure. Applied Linguistics, 4(2), 91-112. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/4.2.91
Ton-Nu, A. (2025). Why is L2 pragmatics still a neglected area in EFL teaching? Uncovered stories from Vietnamese EFL teachers. International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching, 63(3), 1915-1939. https://doi.org/10.1515/iral-2023-0172
Van Compernolle, R. A. (2014). Sociocultural theory and L2 instructional pragmatics. Multilingual Matters. https://doi.org/10.21832/9781783091409
Van Compernolle, R. A. (2015). Interaction and second language development: A Vygotskian perspective. John Benjamins Publishing Company. https://doi.org/10.1075/lllt.44
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvjf9vz4
Wilson, D., & Kolaiti, P. (2017). Lexical pragmatics and implicit communication. In Piotr Cap and Marta Dynel (Eds.), Implicitness: From lexis to discourse (pp. 147-176). John Benjamins Publishing Company. https://doi.org/10.1075/pbns.276.07wil
Wong, J., & Waring, H. Z. (2010). Conversation analysis and second language pedagogy: A guide for ESL/EFL teachers. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429488023
Zangoei, A., Zareian, G., Adel, S. M. R., & Amirian, S. M. R. (2019). The impact of computerized dynamic assessment on Iranian EFL learners' interlanguage pragmatic development. Journal of Modern Research in English Language Studies, 6(4), 165-139. https://doi.org/10.30479/jmrels.2019.11536.1433
Zhang, Y. (2022). The influence of combining computer-assisted language learning with instruction on Chinese college students’ L2 pragmatic ability. Chinese Journal of Applied Linguistics, 45(2), 243-253. https://doi.org/10.1515/cjal-2022-0206

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 01 November 2025
  • Revise Date: 05 February 2026
  • Accept Date: 06 February 2026
  • First Publish Date: 19 February 2026
  • Publish Date: 19 February 2026

Share

How to cite

Statistics