Scaffolding Strategies that Benefit and Support Adult English as a Foreign Language Reading Comprehension: A Literature Review

The poor reading proficiency and the lack of reading comprehension strategies have been a major flaw for adult university learners in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) contexts, particularly in the case of English majors at the School of Foreign Languages in the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Research has shown this reading gap can be improved through suitable instructional strategies and assistance referred to as scaffolding. The purpose of this literature review was to investigate how beneficial scaffolding is for EFL adults´ reading comprehension, which scaffolding strategies prove effective in supporting EFL reading comprehension, and how those effective strategies are implemented. Twenty-two empirical studies from the last ten years, exclusively related to scaffolding strategies that promote EFL adult learners´ reading comprehension in college settings were carefully chosen and critically analyzed. Findings indicate the significant benefits of scaffolding for the enhancement of both low and high proficiency adult EFL´s reading comprehension, in terms of inference and critical level, and higher-order thinking skills. Similarly, results show that EFL students gained more autonomy, self-regulation and self-confidence, problem solving and critical thinking skills, metacognition, more motivation, and a positive attitude to read through implementing scaffolding in the reading classes; especially when fostered via a collaborative learning environment. Moreover, several scaffolding strategies were found as effective to support EFL reading comprehension, namely graphic organizers, questioning techniques, modeling, bridging, schema building, visualizing, think alouds, cognitive and metacognitive strategies, and a reading framework—The Scaffolding Reading Experience (SRE). Concerning how the effective scaffolding strategies were implemented in reading comprehension, findings in this literature review suggest four specific teaching applications; namely, intervention through the three reading phases: pre, during, and post reading; through the Scaffolding Reading Experience (SRE) as opposed to the traditional reading instruction; through the lens of Sociocultural Theory: teacher-peers and peer-to-peer collaboration, and the students´ ZPD, and finally, through well-constructed scaffolds to support better EFL reading comprehension. Limitations, suggestions for future research, and the potential teaching and curriculum implications out of this literature review are put forward

Teaching Hidden History: A Case Study of Dialogic Scaffolding in a Hybrid Graduate Course

Using an expanded version of Alexander’s (2008) theory of dialogic teaching developed by Rojas-Drummond, Torreblanca, Pedraza, Vélez, and Guzmán (2013), this case study explored how instructors and students in a hybrid graduate course engaged in the process of dialogic teaching and learning (DTL). In particular, we examined the ways in which scaffolding strategies used in the course supported inquiry-based learning. Our findings suggest that instructors and students engaged in all five dimensions of DTL as defined by Rojas-Drummond et al. (2013), and illuminate the ways in which scaffolding can facilitate inquiry-based learning in interdisciplinary instructional settings

Collaboration, creativity and the co-construction of oral and written texts

In this paper we explore how primary school children ‘learn to collaborate’ and ‘collaborate to learn’ on creative writing projects by using diverse cultural artefacts—including oracy, literacy and ICT. We begin by reviewing some key sociocultural concepts which serve as a theoretical framework for the research reported. Secondly, we describe the context in which the children talked and worked together to create their projects. This context is a ‘learning community’ developed as part of an innovative educational programme with the aim of promoting the social construction of knowledge among all participants. We then present microgenetic analyses of the quality of the interaction and dialogues taking place as peers worked together on their projects, and how these collaborative processes and uses of the mediational artefacts were taken up by the children. In order to exemplify these processes, our analyses centre on a selection of examples of dialogues, texts and multimedia products of stories created by groups of fourth grade (9–10 years old) children. Overall, the work reveals the dynamic functioning in educational settings of some central sociocultural concepts. These include: co-construction; intertextuality and intercontextuality amongst oracy, literacy and uses of ICT; collaborative creativity; development of dialogical and text production strategies and appropriation of diverse cultural artefacts for knowledge construction

Sound to Symbol: Teaching Music Literacy

Music educators aim to teach music literacy, which is the ability to read music; however, resources for differentiating specifically in the field of music are difficult to find. This paper analyzed available research on creating meaningful ways to represent sound aside from traditional music notation and using this notation to differentiate instruction. Graphic notation, as opposed to standard notation, is therefore analyzed as a potential tool for differentiation both in terms of its benefits when created by teachers or textbook companies as well as when students create their individual graphic notation. Other issues addressed include a focus on aural preparation, or sound before sight. Another tool for differentiating and increasing achievement is collaboration with peers. This is investigated through symmetrical and asymmetrical Peer Assisted Learning and peer-tutoring. The studies support the idea of using graphic notation, such as mapping, song dotting, ideographs, and blended notation, to create meaningful representations of sound that are differentiated to each student. These strategies help the music educator see what students understand about the music, which allows the teacher to further differentiate instruction. By using these strategies for notating music, music literacy can be taught and differentiated

Student Preferences for Group Size in a Language Development Course

Student preferences for group size were investigated. Pre- and post-study surveys, student written comments, and teacher observations were used to record changes in attitude and perception of group work while learning English over an eight-week period. In this study, I observed how arrangement impacted my students’ impressions of individual, pair, and group activities. My purpose for focusing on student configuration was twofold: firstly, I wanted to learn more about my students’ preferences for group size, and secondly; I wanted to find out whether certain combinations of students affected their perceptions of learning more than others

Pedagogic scaffolding practices of primary mathematics teachers

Includes abstract.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 150-158).This study describes the pedagogical scaffolding practices of nine primary school teachers in 18 lessons in the foundation phase. These teachers were participants in an in-service training and research project called the Count One Count All project in South Africa. On the basis of a critical review of relevant literature, the study proposes a definition of complex scaffolding pedagogy that differentiates between discrete scaffolding strategies and this complex scaffolding pedagogy. Complex scaffolding connects three sets of scaffolding strategies: those that orient pedagogy to a concept, those that 'open up' the concept through interactions between teacher and learners and those that structure learner activities to enable learners to internalise concepts

Cooperative learning : learning to cooperate, cooperating to learn

This research project is an attempt to give arguments in favour of using cooperative learning activities in FL classrooms as an effective approach to learning. The arguments offered are presented from two different perspectives: the first one is based on the empirical study of three students working together to achieve a common goal. The second one is a compilation of the trainee teacher's experiences during her practicum periods in a high school regarding group work. This part is illustrated by some examples that emphasize that cooperative learning can facilitate learning, promote socialisation and increase students' self-esteemAquest treball de recerca intenta donar arguments a favor de l'ús d'activitats d'aprenentatge cooperatiu a les classes de llengua estrangera atès que és un mètode efectiu d'aprenentatge. Els arguments es presenten des de dues perspectives diferents: la primera està basada en l'estudi empíric d'un trio d‟estudiants treballant de forma cooperativa per aconseguir un objectiu comú. La segona és una compilació de les experiències de la professora durant el seu període de pràctiques en un institut. Aquesta última part està il·lustrada amb alguns exemples que emfatitzen que l'aprenentatge cooperatiu pot facilitar l'aprenentatge, promoure la socialització i incrementar l'autoestima dels estudiant

Children's performance on and understanding of the balance scale problem: the effects of adult support

The present thesis investigated the Vygotskian notion that social influences are necessary for children's learning to take place, and that the process of conceptual development via Representational Redescription, described by Karmiloff-Smith (1992), occurs as a result of contingent scaffolding techniques. The aim of the research detailed in the thesis was to examine the effects of adult support on children's performance on and understanding of a Balance Scale task. Analyses of support focused on the extent to which language used by the adult could be appropriated and used subsequently by the child to complete the task and explain their actions. The adult providing support was either the child's parent (Study 1), or was unknown to the child (Studies 2 and 3). Whereas Studies 1 and 2 focused on the impact of support on individual children, Study 3 looked at this impact on collaborating children working in dyads. All children worked on the Balance Scale task at three separate time-points

Maximizing the Benefits of Collaborative Learning in the College Classroom

abstract: This study tested the effects of two kinds of cognitive, domain-based preparation tasks on learning outcomes after engaging in a collaborative activity with a partner. The collaborative learning method of interest was termed "preparing-to-interact," and is supported in theory by the Preparation for Future Learning (PFL) paradigm and the Interactive-Constructive-Active-Passive (ICAP) framework. The current work combined these two cognitive-based approaches to design collaborative learning activities that can serve as alternatives to existing methods, which carry limitations and challenges. The "preparing-to-interact" method avoids the need for training students in specific collaboration skills or guiding/scripting their dialogic behaviors, while providing the opportunity for students to acquire the necessary prior knowledge for maximizing their discussions towards learning. The study used a 2x2 experimental design, investigating the factors of Preparation (No Prep and Prep) and Type of Activity (Active and Constructive) on deep and shallow learning. The sample was community college students in introductory psychology classes; the domain tested was "memory," in particular, concepts related to the process of remembering/forgetting information. Results showed that Preparation was a significant factor affecting deep learning, while shallow learning was not affected differently by the interventions. Essentially, equalizing time-on-task and content across all conditions, time spent individually preparing by working on the task alone and then discussing the content with a partner produced deeper learning than engaging in the task jointly for the duration of the learning period. Type of Task was not a significant factor in learning outcomes, however, exploratory analyses showed evidence of Constructive-type behaviors leading to deeper learning of the content. Additionally, a novel method of multilevel analysis (MLA) was used to examine the data to account for the dependency between partners within dyads. This work showed that "preparing-to-interact" is a way to maximize the benefits of collaborative learning. When students are first cognitively prepared, they seem to make the most efficient use of discussion towards learning, engage more deeply in the content during learning, leading to deeper knowledge of the content. Additionally, in using MLA to account for subject nonindependency, this work introduces new questions about the validity of statistical analyses for dyadic data.Dissertation/ThesisPh.D. Educational Psychology 201