Dr. Urbanski and Tina Randall, a doctoral student in Applied Linguistics, presented at the IV International Conference on Sociocultural Theory and L2 Learning, which was held in Pamplona, Spain, in June of this year. The title of their presentation was “Computerized Dynamic Assessment of Grammar in Second Language Development,” which was the topic of Tina’s master’s thesis. Dr. Urbanski and Tina have continued to develop this study, and their first paper on the topic has been approved for publication.

The CDA program was designed to approximate an interactionist approach to dynamic assessment to help L2 and foreign language students develop their understanding of a variety of grammatical features, and also to serve as a diagnosis and assessment tool. Specifically, the project focused on the use of CDA to achieve macro and microgenetic development of SFL students’ ability to conjugate Spanish verbs in the future tense. The study used a pretest, test, posttest, and delayed posttest format, and the effectiveness of the CDA program was evaluated by comparing it against a control group.

The study found that students in the CDA group achieved greater macrogenetic growth than those in the control group. The CDA group also exhibited a higher likelihood of future progress than the control group, as indicated by their higher LPS scores.