Exploring the impact of online flipped peer dynamic assessment on EFL learners’ reading comprehension skills

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Humanities, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran.

Abstract

This study explores the impacts of online flipped peer dynamic assessment (OFPDA) on Iranian EFL learners’ reading comprehension skills, drawing on Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory of mind (SCT). It also examines the long-term impacts of utilizing OFPDA to boost the participants’ reading comprehension skills. Then, learners’ attitudes toward implementing OFPDA in promoting learners’ reading comprehension skills are investigated. A sample of 72 Iranian female EFL learners in a private institute who participated in an online reading comprehension course was recruited through convenience sampling. The students were divided into flipped (n = 36) and non-flipped groups (n = 36). The two groups followed the DIALANG, pre-test, flipped instruction (for the flipped group), traditional teaching (for the non-flipped group), immediate post-test, and delayed post-test procedure. Additionally, one-third of the flipped participants were voluntarily invited to a focus group interview. The data were analyzed using three independent sample t-tests, two repeated measure ANOVAs, and a content analysis approach. Quantitative findings indicated that the flipped group significantly outperformed the control group regarding reading comprehension skills. Besides, the results of the focus group interview revealed that the students had favorable attitudes toward the OFPDA. The implications for L2 educators and learners are discussed in the light of the literature.

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