Stage-Based Dynamic Assessment for Personalized Grammar Instruction: A Case Study with EFL University Students
Authors
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Kseniya V. Yatskina
https://orcid.org/0009-0009-6399-5985 (unauthenticated)
Keywords:
Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), dynamic assessment, stage-based dynamic assessment, EFL, AI-powered toolAbstract
The inherent heterogeneity of university EFL classrooms poses a significant challenge: students at the same CEFR level exhibit disparate gaps in their mastery of grammatical structures, yet traditional instruction remains one-size-fits-all. Current AI-powered tools, while effective at personalizing content sequencing, fail to diagnose the qualitative nature of individual difficulties and assess a learner’s responsiveness to mediation. This study addresses the need for digital tools grounded in Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) and Bernstein’s skill formation stages (SFS) to capture both learners’ current mastery and their learning potential. A case study involving university EFL students was conducted utilizing a digital, stage-based dynamic assessment tool. By incorporating a four-level mediation system, the tool assessed each student’s specific grammar mastery level (SFS), calculated their Learning Potential Score (LPS), generated individual learning profiles, and assigned targeted tasks. This process operated within an iterative assessment-feedback-correction cycle. The findings revealed distinct learning paths, and the continuous nature of the cycle enabled ongoing monitoring and timely instructional adjustments. The theoretically grounded framework thus offers a scalable approach to personalizing instruction in EFL classrooms.
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