The following glossary, Discursive competence in its constellations, defines the notions that the ECODAL I+D+i project (ref. EDU2016-75874-P, AEI/FEDER) has dealt with in its three research areas: communicative assessment, plurilingual discourse competence and language learning.

The glossary summarizes graphically (in the form of three constellations) the links existing among the basic concepts of these three research areas. These three constellations depict a didactic model for the assessment of the plurilingual discourse competence. In this model, assessment is considered a communicative, formative and regulating activity. This conception is compatible with final —summative— assessment and achievement assessment of plurilingual discourse competence. Regarding performance and metadiscursive knowledge, this competence is a momentous element of language learning in undergraduate, language schools and university language centers courses. Within this constellation of language learning, the model materializes in the form of an action-oriented approach, in which agency and the student's identity play an important role.

Depending on the users' interests and needs, this constellation-form representation of plurilingual discourse competence allows to follow different itineraries so as to look up various concepts without losing sight of the links among them. The different itineraries throughout the definitions may help create new specific resources to assess plurilingual discourse competence:

  • regarding language learners, resources to develop their autonomy when improving the quality of their oral, written and multimodal productions;
  • regarding language teachers, the elaboration of didactic sequences integrating new communicative assessment practices in the classroom;
  • regarding development of didactic materials, proposals fostering plurilingual discourse competence.  

  • López Ferrero, Carmen; Martín Peris, Ernesto; Esteve Ruescas, Olga and Atienza Cerezo, Encarna (2019). Discursive competence in its constellations: glossary. https://www.upf.edu/web/ecodal/glosario