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Willingness to communicate (WTC), which is defined as the intention to communicate given a choice, continues to establish itself as a determining construct in bringing about success or failure in learning a second language (Dӧrnyei, 2005, Peng & Woodrow, 2010. The majority of studies done on the issue are oriented towards ESL contexts leaving us with a gap in English as a foreign language (EFL) context literature. The paucity of studies in EFL contexts caused us to investigate whether WTC and language learners' oral proficiency were related in an Iranian context. To this end, 70 male and female intermediate language learners learning English at a private institute were chosen as the participants of the study. The WTC questionnaire was given to the participants and a standard speaking test was administered. Also, individual semi-structured interviews with some of the participants were used to obtain supportive data. The results of correlational analyses revealed that there was a strong relationship between learners' WTC and their oral proficiency with no significant gender difference. The possible reasons for the correlation are discussed with regard to different motivational, contextual, and attitudinal factors.

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One of the criticisms leveled against Dynamic Assessment (DA), with a robust theoretical foundation rooted in Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), has been its applicability in populated L2 classes. The present paper, therefore, aimed to explore the applicability of Peer-Dynamic Assessment (Peer-DA), as a novel approach to DA, to ameliorate this concern. In order to achieve the goal, 15 fourth-grade female Iranian high school students, aged 15-17, were assigned into trios groups. After having been instructed to know how to apply Peer-DA procedures in their groups during three sessions, they worked on ten reading texts during ten one-hour sessions held twice a week. When the participants were trying to comprehend the texts and learn the embedded vocabulary within the texts, their interactions were meticulously audio-recorded. Next, a number of episodes were selected, transcribed, and microgenetically analyzed. Analyzing the obtained revealed that not only does Peer-DA have the capability for diagnosing developing abilities but it also can improve the developing abilities in a much more efficient way. More importantly, it was demonstrated that if the principles and procedures of peer-DA be taught to L2 learners, they can be utilized by learners in large classes to facilitate language learning processes. The implications of the present study were discussed from a sociocultural perspective for both ESL/EFL teachers and learners.

The present study set out to investigate if informed Peer Dynamic Assessment (PDA), as an alternative to Dynamic Assessment (DA), can cultivate grammar learning of Iranian intermediate EFL learners. To accomplish the objectives, two intact classes including 15 female students, aged from 16 to 20, were selected and randomly assigned into two groups, namely, experimental and control at Iran Language Institute in Khorram Abad City, Lorestan Province. The experimental group was trained on principles and procedures of PDA during two sessions to make sure that the participants know how to provide their peers with graduated feedback appropriately. Next, they were teamed up in groups of three in order to work on a number of grammatical structures embedded in their course book for ten sessions. In contrast, the control group worked on the same grammatical structures according to traditional approaches wherein feedback was given unsystematically by the teacher. Furthermore, three parallel grammar tests, designed and developed by a panel of well-experienced EFL teachers, were administered as pre-test, post-test, and delayed post-test to measure the participants' grammar knowledge prior and after the instructions. The collected data were analyzed using ANCOVA test. Results revealed that there was a statistically significant difference between the experimental and control groups in terms of gain scores on the post-test. In addition, the findings indicated that the experimental group outperformed the control group on the delayed post-test. In light with the findings, some pedagogical implications were presented for EFL teachers and learners.