ABSTRACT
The availability of mediation, particularly through dialogic interaction, is a defining feature of dynamic assessment (DA) and has received considerable attention from researchers and practitioners both in and out of the second language (L2) field. However, following insights from the work of L2 sociocultural theory scholars stressing the negotiated nature of mediation during cooperative activity (Aljaafreh & Lantolf, 1995; Poehner, 2005) as well as conceptual arguments from the general DA research literature (Lidz, 1991; Lidz & Van Der Aalsvoort, 2002), the concept of reciprocity has been proposed to capture learner engagement in DA. Reciprocity challenges the more conventional view that learner performance may be dichotomously categorized as correct or incorrect. This expanded understanding of learner participation in DA broadens the analytic focus for researchers seeking to examine processes of development and helps to orient practitioner efforts to align mediation to learner needs and abilities. The chapter provides examples of how learner reciprocity may manifest with L2 learners and discusses ways in which additional research may continue to illuminate this dimension of L2 development.
