28.163, Diss: Dynamic Assessment of Academic Writing for Business Studies

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LINGUIST List: Vol-28-163. Tue Jan 10 2017. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 28.163, Diss: Dynamic Assessment of Academic Writing for Business Studies

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Date: Tue, 10 Jan 2017 10:30:42
From: Prithvi Shrestha [Prithvi.Shrestha at open.ac.uk]
Subject: Dynamic Assessment of Academic Writing for Business Studies

 
Institution: Open University 
Program: Applied Linguistics 
Dissertation Status: Completed 
Degree Date: 2012 

Author: Prithvi N Shrestha

Dissertation Title: Dynamic Assessment of Academic Writing for Business Studies 

Dissertation URL:  http://www.isfla.org/Systemics/Print/Theses/Thesis-FINAL-Prithvi-Shrestha.pdf

Linguistic Field(s): Applied Linguistics

Subject Language(s): English (eng)


Dissertation Director(s):
Prof Caroline Coffin
Barbara Mayor

Dissertation Abstract:

This study explores the application of a formative assessment approach known
as Dynamic Assessment (DA), as developed within the Vygotskian sociocultural
theory of learning. DA blends instruction with assessment by targeting and
further developing students’ Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). The study
investigates whether, and if so, how DA enhances students’ academic writing
and conceptual development in business studies over time.

DA and Hallidayan Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) informed the
methodological design of this study, which employed a mixed methods approach
in order to track learners’ ZPDs regarding academic writing development. The
use of SFL to provide linguistic evidence for student writing development
(ZPD) is new in DA and thus an innovative feature of this study. The data
consists of six undergraduate business studies students’ three to four drafts
of three assessments, which were analysed for textual and ideational meanings,
as well as associated text-based interaction (mediation), complemented by
student interviews and subject tutors’ written comments. Whilst the mediation
was analysed using categories derived from Poehner (2005), thematic analysis
was used to examine the interviews and tutor comments.

The findings suggest that DA, combined with SFL, provides insights into the
learners’ maturing writing abilities, which the tutor can nurture further to
help the learners internalise them. This study also shows that DA students
made more gains than their non-DA counterparts regarding their ability to
write a case study analysis genre over time. Additionally, the findings
suggest that students can transfer their academic writing and conceptual
knowledge from one assessment task to another, albeit at a varying level.

The study, though small in scale, thus, supports the view that targeted tutor
support potentially enhances students’ academic writing development.
Implications are drawn concerning formative writing assessment research and
practice in higher education.




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