Innovation in Language Learning
From Other-Regulation to Autonomy: Tracing Emergent Abilities Through Interactionist Dynamic Assessment in EFL Contexts
Ehsan Zolfaghari Younesi, Islamic Azad University - North Tehran Branch (Iran, Islamic Republic of)
Roya Khoii, Islamic Azad University - North Tehran Branch (Iran, Islamic Republic of)
Abstract
This study investigated how Interactionist Dynamic Assessment (DA), grounded in Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory, facilitates the emergence of latent abilities in EFL learners, promoting their movement from other-regulation to autonomy in speaking performance. Conducted in a private language institute in Iran, 46 upper-intermediate learners were exposed to three DA modalities, Individual, Peer, and Concurrent Group DA, over 13 sessions. To explore the development of their emergent abilities beyond observable performance gains, qualitative data were collected through post-intervention semi-structured interviews and ongoing researcher field notes. Using an inductive coding approach, the data were thematically analyzed, yielding key patterns related to affective, cognitive, and meta-cognitive shifts experienced during the intervention., The participants frequently described increased self-regulation, reduced anxiety, and heightened willingness to communicate across both interviews and field notes. The thematic analysis of the data revealed the dominant presence of emergent and unanticipated developmental outcomes such as improved self-awareness, strategic learning behaviors, and reflection. The findings underscore the transformative impact of DA as not only a diagnostic tool but also a developmental scaffold that shapes learners’ maturing abilities and dispositions.
Key Words: Interactionist Dynamic Assessment, Emergent Abilities, Sociocultural Theory, ZPD, EFL Speaking, Mediation
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