The effects of online flipped peer dynamic assessment on EFL learners' academic writing skills

Abstract

This study used an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design to investigate the effects of the Online Flipped Peer Dynamic Assessment (OFPDA) approach on English as a foreign language (EFL) learners' academic writing skills. 48 EFL learners at an Iranian university participated in the study through convenience sampling. Learners were randomly divided into flipped (n = 24) and non-flipped (n = 24) groups. The two groups followed DIALANG, pretest, intervention (for the flipped group), conventional teaching (for the non-flipped group), and post-test procedures. Moreover, one second of the flipped participants were voluntarily invited for a focus group interview. Data were analyzed using two independent sample t-tests: a microgenetic development approach was used to analyze moment-to-moment changes in learners' behaviours during peer interactions and a thematic analysis approach. The quantitative results showed that the flipped group significantly outperformed the non-flipped group in terms of academic writing skills. In addition, microgenetic development analysis revealed that implementing online peer graduation and contingent prompts considerably enhanced students' writing performance. The focus group interview findings also revealed that EFL learners had positive attitudes towards OFPDA. These findings have pedagogical implications for policymakers, educators, and teachers, who will benefit from the affordances of OFPDA, especially in technology-enhanced flipped settings, to improve learners' learning outcomes.