Dynamic Assessment of Pragmatic Competence: A case of speech acts of Apology and request

Dynamic assessment (DA) having root in Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory of mind has been investigated by many researchers. However, DA of pragmatics has not been much researched. Considering the important role of pragmatic competence in promoting learners’ communicative competence, the current study examined the effectiveness of dynamic assessment, cake model, on the development of learners’ pragmatic competence. To conduct the research a number of 46 MSc students of engineering, studying at the University of Tehran, were assessed dynamically. The assessment provided three scores: actual score, mediated score, and learning potential score (LPS). In order to analyze the data, paired sample t-test and univariate analysis of variance were run. The results showed that DA had a positive effect on learners’ knowledge of the speech acts of apology and request. The results also showed that there was no interaction between learners’ scores and their proficiency levels. The findings of the research can be used in teaching, assessing and learning the speech acts of apology and request.