David Tzuriel

Dynamic Assessment of Young Children

Tzuriel’s (1992a, 1997a, 1998, 1999a, 2000a, c, d) approach with young children is based on both, Vygotsky’s sociocultural approach and Feuerstein’s MLE theory. The assessment approach is characterized by innovations of test materials, assessment procedures adapted for the developmental stages of young children, and a recording and scoring system. This approach is summarized in the following 10 aspects identified in Table 5.1.

Dynamic Assessment of Young Children: Educational and Intervention Perspectives

Dynamic/interactive assessment (DA) has been motivated by the inadequacy of conventional static tests to provide accurate information about the individuals learning ability, specific deficient functions, change processes, and mediational strategies that are responsible for cognitive modifiability. A growing need for DA with young children has emerged recently because decisions about treatment should be made as early as possible. The objectives of this paper are to review the major criticism of the standardized static testing approach, present the theoretical basis of the DA approach, describe current research on DA of young children within educational and intervention perspectives, and suggest some directions for future research. The theoretical foundations of the presented research derive from Vygotskys sociocultural theory, specifically the zone of proximal development concept, and Feuersteins mediated learning experience theory. DA has been applied with different clinical and educational groups and was found to be more accurate in reflecting childrens learning potential than static tests, especially with minority and learning disabled children. The mediational strategy is also reported as more effective than other intervention approaches (e.g., graduated prompt). The DA approach was found useful in assessing outcome effects of cognitive education programs aimed at enhancing “learning how to learn” skills. Crucial issues of cost-effectiveness, training, reliability and validity, and generalization are discussed.

Applications and Challenges in Dynamic Assessment.

Dynamic assessment is described as a subset of interactive assessment that includes deliberate and planned mediational teaching and the assessment of the effects of that teaching on subsequent performance. Its historical roots are traced to Vygotsky and Feuerstein and rests on four assumptions: (a) Accumulated knowledge is not the best indication of ability to acquire new knowledge. (b) Everyone functions at less than 100% of capacity. (c) The best test of any performance is a sample of that performance. (d) There are many obstacles that can mask ones ability; when the obstacles are removed, greater ability than was suspected is often revealed. The authors review what is known so far about dynamic assessment and give examples of its utility as a tool for research and clinical work in psychopathology, neuropsychology, education, the study of cultural differences, and developmental research. Some persistent problems are noted as well.

Gender Differences in Spatial Ability of Young Children: The Effects of Training and Processing Strategies

A sample of 116 children (M=6 years 7 months) in Grade 1 was randomly assigned to experimental (n=60) and control (n=56) groups, with equal numbers of boys and girls in each group. The experimental group received a program aimed at improving representation and transformation of visuospatial information, whereas the control group received a substitute program. All children were administered mental rotation tests before and after an intervention program and a Global-Local Processing Strategies test before the intervention. The results revealed that initial gender differences in spatial ability disappeared following treatment in the experimental but not in the control group. Gender differences were moderated by strategies used to process visuospatial information. Intervention and processing strategies were essential in reducing gender differences in spatial abilities.

The Effects of Mediation in Computer Assisted Dynamic Assessment.

This study examined the effects of the computer-assisted dynamic assessment (DA) on cognitive performance as compared to DA with an examiner. The DA approach is based on Feuersteins mediated learning experience theory and Tzuriels DA approach with young children. A sample of kindergarden children (n = 60) were assigned to either a Computer Assisted (CA, n = 30) or Examiner Only (EO, n = 30) groups. The sample was randomly chosen from three kindergardens in a middle-SES area. Initial intelligence level of both groups was controlled by matching their frequency distribution on the Ravens Colored Progressive Matrices score. The CA group was administered the Think-in-Order program, which is a multimedia program designed specifically for this study and is based on the Childrens Seriational Thinking Modifiability (CSTM) test. The EO group was administered the CSTM test by an examiner. The findings revealed that intervention involving mediation processes in a CA dynamic assessment procedure was more effective in bringing about significant cognitive changes than mediation with only an examiner.

Mediated Learning and Cognitive Modifiability: Dynamic Assessment of Young Ethiopian Immigrant Children to Israel

This study examines the relation between mediated learning experience (MLE) and cognitive modifiability among children who underwent cultural change. The case of Ethiopian immigrant children who had to adapt to Israeli society, tested by a dynamic assessment (DA) approach, was used. Our main hypothesis, based on L. S. Vygotsky’s (1978) zone of proximal development concept and R. Feuerstein’s (1991) MLE theory, was that these immigrants would reveal cultural difference but not cultural deprivation. A group of first-grade Ethiopian immigrants was compared with a group of Israeli-born children on the Colored Progressive Matrices (CPM), the Children’s Analogical Cognitive Modifiability test, and the Children’s Inferential Thinking Modifiability test. There were significant group differences on the CPM and on the Preteaching scores of both DA measures, indicating superiority of the Israeli-born comparison group. However, after a short but intensive teaching process, the Ethiopian group narrowed the gaps and performed at about the same level on Postteaching and Transfer tasks.

The assessment of analogical thinking modifiability among regular, special education, disadvantaged, and mentally retarded children

The objectives of the current study were (a) to develop a measure of childrens analogical thinking modifiability (CATM) based on the Feuerstein, Rand, and Hoffman (1979) theory of dynamic assessment of cognitive modifiability, (b) to compare the performance of groups assumed to be differentially modified by intervention, (c) to compare CATM performance with performance on a conventional test, and (d) to study qualitative changes after a learning process. Subjects were disdvantaged, regular, and special education kindergarten children (N=140), and mentally retarded children (N=20). The CATM was administered together with the Ravens Colored Progressive Matrices (RCPM) in a balanced order. Disadvantaged and regular children achieved higher gain scores than other groups in both none-or-all and partial credit methods (p < 01). The MR and the special education groups showed small gains according to the none-or-all credit method; however, according to the partial credit method, the MR group showed high gains and the special education group a performance decrease. Performance scores on the CATM were higher than on the RCPM, especially in comparison to the B8-B12 items-differences reach a peak of 61% and 67% for the disadvantaged and regular groups, respectively. Qualitative analysis indicated that form mistakes were most resistant to change, whereas color mistakes were most easy to modify. Results were explained within Feuersteins theoretical framework of cognitive modifiability. Impaired cognitive functions as well as analytic versus synthetic processes were suggested to explain group differences.

Ego identity: Effects of ethnocentrism, ethnic identification, and cognitive complexity in Israeli Oriental and Western ethnic groups.

This study investigated the relationship of ego identity to ethnocentrism, ethnic identification, and cognitive complexity. A sample of 378 Israeli high school students were administered: (a) the Adolescent Ego Identity Scale, (b) Ethnocentrism and Ethnic Group Identification Scale, and (c) Role Repertory Test. In a four-way analysis of variance, low as compared to high ethnocentric persons were higher in ego identity. Persons with high as compared to low ethnic identification were higher in ego identity. An inverted U-shaped relationship was found between ego identity and cognitive complexity only for the Western group. Ego identity, however, was related to the interaction of ethnic group, ethnocentrism, and ethnic identification, indicating the importance of considering all three ethnic variables simultaneously. While ethnocentrism was related to ego identity in both ethnic groups, ethnic identification was related to ego identity only in the Oriental group, among whom those with low ethnocentrism and high ethnic identification achieved the highest ego identity score. A social-personality explanation was used to interpret the results.

The effects of Peer Mediation with Young Children (PMYC) on children's cognitive modifiability.

Peer mediation with young children is a relatively novel approach aimed at teaching young children how to mediate to their peers. The main benefits of peer mediation are in developing childrens mediation teaching style and cognitive modifiability. The peer mediation developed recently is based on Vygotskys sociocultural and Feuersteins mediated learning experience theories. The main objectives of the study were to investigate the effects of the Peer Mediation with Young Children (PMYC) programme on childrens cognitive modifiability of mediators and learners and to study the effects of cognitive level of the learner and mediator on their cognitive modifiability following the programme. A sample of 178 pupils (89 mediators in Grade 3 and 89 learners in Grade 1) was randomly assigned to experimental (N=43 dyads) and control (N=46 dyads) groups. The mediators in the experimental group participated in the PMYC programme, whereas the mediators in the control group received a substitute intervention aimed at emphasizing general conditions of peer interaction. Following the intervention, mediators of both groups received a demonstration of a multimedia programme as a preparation for the peer mediation interaction and later taught it to their young counterparts. Following the teaching session (e.g. teaching of seriation problems), mediators in both groups were given a dynamic assessment measure of analogies. The learners however were given a test of seriation before and after the intervention. The findings showed that following the intervention the experimental mediators showed higher level of analogies scores, as well as higher improvement on the dynamic analogies measure as compared with control mediators. The experimental learners showed higher pre- to post-intervention achievements on the seriation problems as compared with control learners. The findings showed also that when there was a match between the mediator and learners cognitive level (i.e. low-low or high-high) the differences between the experimental and control groups were minor and negligible. However, when the mediator-learner cognitive levels did not match, the experimental learners received higher scores than the control learners. Mediators in the experimental group had to cope with the incongruent cognitive level by facilitating their mediational approach and consequently enhancing the learners performance. The findings are discussed in regard to Piaget, Vygotsky and Feuersteins theories and recent research on peer assisted learning.

The Dynamic Assessment Approach A Reply to Frisby and Braden

Frisby and Braden (this issue) have criticized dynamic assessment (DA), especially Feuersteins theory and methods. The basic arguments of this reply are that (a) Frisby and Braden have tried to impose a different theoretical paradigm on Feuersteins approach; (b) in spite of their claim, they in fact did not provide a historical context for the development of the DA approach; (c) they have neglected the philosophical assumptions behind both their approach and Feuersteins approach; (d) they misinterpreted the structural nature of DA tasks by considering them to represent “social intelligence”; (e) they ignored recent research that supports the reliability and validity of the DA approach; and (f) they interpreted cognitive processes as personality-motivational factors and implied that static tests actually are measuring those processes. Throughout this reply, examples from recent research are given to support the DA approach, and each of the critical points raised is analyzed and discussed.