Dynamic assessment or schema theory: The case of listening comprehension

Not only is listening considered as an active skill nowadays, but also different approaches are suggested to incorporate it effectively into language classrooms. Our purpose, here, is to compare two approaches claiming to be effective in enhancing EFL learners’ listening capabilities including schema theory and dynamic assessment. Through a quasi-experimental design, the researchers recruited two intact classes of EFL learners (N = 42) being treated with: schema theory approach and dynamic assessment. Each group participated in 15 sessions of one hour working on their listening abilities using different techniques. The dynamic assessment group employed a pretest-enrichment-posttest design and the schema theory group experienced a pre-listening, listening, and post-listening design using shadowing and semantic maps. Independent sample t-test and mixed between-within Anova were used as the statistical tests. Results showed that both groups’ listening comprehension improved over time. The results of statistical tests didn’t show a significant difference between the groups regarding their listening comprehension in the posttest in spite of the fact that the schema group attained higher scores in the posttest. The findings may have significant implications for language teachers and teacher educators. Teachers should become aware of the fact that there are different approaches which they can benefit from in teaching listening skills to EFL students.