The effect of dynamic assessment models on L2 listening and speaking anxiety

Reducing anxiety in foreign language learning has long been a concern for many teachers. This study focused on exploring the effects of three dynamic assessment models on L2 speaking and listening anxiety. The participants were 120 pre-intermediate Iranian learners of English at a language institute in Qazvin, Iran. The learners were randomly assigned to four groups (three experimental groups and one control group). Before the treatment, the students’ homogeneity was checked using Oxford Placement Test (OPT). Then, all the groups were given listening and speaking anxiety questionnaires as pretests. During 10 sessions, the first group received listening and speaking instruction using Buddof’s Learning Potential Measurement Approach (LPM); the second group was treated with Guthke’s Lerntest Approach; the third group was treated with Testing-the-Limits Approach.  Lastly, the control group was taught conventionally in a teacher-fronted way.  The same questionnaires were given to the participants in the twelfth session as posttests. Data were analyzed using two one-way analysis of covariance procedures. Significant differences were found among the groups’ listening and speaking anxiety mean scores on the posttests after controlling for the initial differences. Those experimental groups that received testing-the-limits and Lerntest approaches had a lower level of listening and speaking anxiety on the posttest. It was concluded that employing dynamic assessment models can decrease speaking and listening anxiety among EFL learners and enhance their productivity. The findings can have important implications for students, teachers and materials designers.