How Aptitude-treatment-interaction Studies can Benefit Learning-oriented Assessment Payman Vafaee Yuichi Suzuki Eric Pelzl “Optimal  learning is the result of the instruction being  perfectly  matched  to  the  learner’s   aptitudes.”   Cronbach & Snow (1977) Learning-oriented Assessment Focuses not only on assessment but also on how instruction and feedback can be tailored to L2 learning (Purpura & Turner, 2013). Learning-oriented Assessment LOA is Objective fundamentally iterative and recursive until a Task Observation criterion level of mastery is achieved (Purpura, Instruction 2004) Feedback Learning-oriented Assessment How can I use assessment results to provide feedback for guiding learning? How can I design interesting and cognitively engaging tasks so my students will enjoy learning? Needs to be informed not only by a theory of L2 testing, but also by a theory of L2 learning (e.g., VanPatten’s model in Purpura, 2004). Individual Differences Individual differences in cognitive ability play a major role in second language learning Individualization of L2 Learning “…different  sets  of  cognitive  abilities  can   enhance learning under various learning conditions”  (Kormos,2013;;  Snow,  1992) Some instructional strategies (treatments) are more or less effective for particular individuals depending upon their specific abilities (Snow,1989). Aptitude-treatment Interaction (ATI) ATI  is  “using  learner  aptitude profiles to inform pedagogical Explicit interventions exploiting learner strengths and circumventing or avoiding  learner  weaknesses.”   Instruction (Doughty, 2013:165) Implicit Feedback Inductive Deductive L2 Aptitudes Are considered  to  be  relatively  stable  “traits”   Readiness to learn a L2 in instructed foreign language settings It is a multi-componential construct L2 Aptitude Components DeKeyser & Koeth (2011): ● Various aspects of memory •  Phonological short-term memory •  Working memory ● Language analytic ability (explicit induction) ● Aptitude for learning elements of pragmatics ● Implicit learning ability ● Phonetic sensitivity