Dynamic—Interactive Approaches to Assessment of Learning Potential

Abstract

In the last two decades there has been a proliferation of research dealing with dynamic—interactive assessment (DA) as an alternative approach to the conventional psychometric measures. This proliferation has paralleled dissatisfaction with the static test approaches. The term static test refers to a test where the examiner presents items to the child and records his or her response without any attempt to intervene in order to change, guide, or improve the child’s performance. Many psychologists and educators have pointed out static tests’ inadequacy in revealing the learning potential of minority students or of students with varied types of learning disabilities (e.g., Budoff, 1987; Carlson & Wiedl, 1992; Feuerstein, Rand, & Hoffman, 1979; Guthke & Wingenfeld, 1992; Haywood, 1997; Lidz, 1991; Tzuriel & Haywood, 1992). This has been amplified by their inadequacy in indicating specific learning processes and in providing prescriptive teaching. DA, with all its limitations (i.e., time consuming, subjectivity of observation, and requirement of trained examiners), has been suggested as a more accurate procedure than the static testing approach in revealing individuals’ learning potential.