exploring the effects of group-dynamic assessment on iranian university transversal skills

Though a mass of studies has offered strong evidence on the effectiveness of group-dynamic assessment (g-da), rooted in the conceptualization of zone of proximal development (zpd), in fostering second language (l2) learning, its effects on improving transversal skills in the efl context of iran have remained unexplored. therefore, this study purported to explore the effects of g-da on fostering university students’ transversal skills in the efl context of iran. to these aims, two intact classes including undergraduate students were selected and randomly assigned to an experimental group (n=21) and a control group (n=20). the participants included both genders and majored in applied linguistics. next, the two groups went through a pre-test, interventions (lasting 20 one-hour sessions held twice a week), a post-test, and a delayed post-test. the participants’ transversal skills prior to and after the interventions were measured through a transversal skills questionnaire, designed and validated by sasi priya (2011). the results of a one-way ancova revealed that the experimental group outperformed the control group concerning the gains of transversal skills on the post-test and the delayed post-test. the study concludes by offering some implications for pertinent stakeholders.