Examining Spontaneous Assessments Mediated through Peer-to-Peer Interaction in an ESL Classroom: A Learning-Oriented Assessment (LOA) Approach

Abstract

Many empirical studies related to CBAs focused on interactive assessments in general (e.g., Leung & Mohan, 2004; Hamp-Lyons & Tavares, 2011), or dynamic assessments (e.g., Lantolf & Poehner, 2011; Poehner & Compernolle, 2011) and peer-assessments (e.g., Aryadoust, 2015; Cheng & Warren, 2005) in particular. Few studies have focused on spontaneous assessments embedded in teacher instruction mediated through interaction using the LOA approach (e.g., Purpura et al., 2016). No study, to the best of my knowledge, has used the LOA approach to examine spontaneous assessments mediated mainly through peer-to-peer interaction. This study then aims to address the gap, contributing to the strand of CBA research that links classroom discourse with spontaneous assessments. By analyzing a stretch of interaction between a group of adult ESL students through the lens of the LOA framework (Turner & Purpura, 2016; Purpura, 2020a), this study seeks to answer two questions: (1) What is the nature of spontaneous assessments mediated through peer-to-peer interaction?  (2) To what extent is there evidence that this kind of assessment contributes to L2 processing and learning?