The Implementation of Scaffolding Techniques Worldwide to Improve English Reading Proficiency In TEFL

Аннотация

This article aims to provide a general understanding of the term scaffolding, emphasizing its significance in education and its role in enhancing reading comprehension. A central objective of this study is to explore the experiences of international educators and scholars in applying scaffolding strategies to develop reading skills within the context of Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL). To achieve this, the study reviews two scholarly articles from Jambi University in Indonesia and Islamic Azad University in Iran. In both institutions, professional educators and linguists conducted experiments on the application of scaffolding techniques to improve reading comprehension in TEFL settings. These studies focused on strengthening students’ reading abilities through scaffolding and reported their findings based on rigorous scientific research. Both of them tried to enhance their students’ reading by using scaffolding strategy and gave the detailed report on their scientific work and paid attention to its effectiveness during the experiment. While learning these scientific works we have strived to examine them thoroughly and introduce them to our learners as well. Keywords: Scaffolding, reading comprehension skill, TEFL, control group, experimental group, effectiveness of using scaffolding. scaffolding dates back to prehistoric times – 17000 Introduction: Termonologization of the concept of years ago. Paleolithic caves were painted with the scaffolding in education assistance of scaffolding, and the ancient Egyptians Scaffolding is a construction and refers to the used wooden scaffolding to construct their impressive temporary platform that is set up for builders to stand pyramids. on while they put up new buildings, walls, bridges and In education and teaching, scaffolding theory was first other man-made structures. This construction is also introduced in 1958 by the American cognitive used when builders repair the buildings and to reach psychologist Jerome Seymour Bruner. He used the term the heights and other areas that are difficult to get to. to describe young children’s oral language acquisition. Etymologically, the word “scaffold” was derived from According to Bruner children helped by their parents old French “eschafaut”, in modern French “echafaud” when first begin learning. probably altered (by influence of eschase “a prop”, In this Bruner’s instructional scaffolding a teacher “support”) from chaffaut, from Vulgar Latin provides sufficient support to promote learning when “catafalcum”. The word catafalque means a decorated concepts and skills are being first introduced to platform on which the dead body of a famous person is students. These supports may include resource, placed before a funeral. The meaning of this word is compelling task, templates and guides on the also somehow connected with a supporting platform in development of cognitive and social skills. Instructional spite of the fact that, it is not an iridescent word to scaffolding could be used through modeling a task, hear. For as long as humans have been building giving advice or providing coaching. These supports are structures, they have used scaffolding. The use of gradually decreased as students develop independent American Journal Of Philological Sciences 85 https://theusajournals.com/index.php/ajps American Journal Of Philological Sciences (ISSN – 2771-2273) learning strategies, skills and knowledge [5]. Teachers facilitate learning: help the students master a task or a concept by 1. The first feature is the interaction between the providing support. The support can take a great deal of learner and the expert. The interaction should be forms, such as outlines, recommended documents, collaborative for it to be effective. storyboards, or key questions. 2. The second is that learning should take place in Pedagogical experience of applying scaffolding in the learner’s zone of proximal development. To do that teaching foreign languages the expert needs to be aware of the learner’s current The concept of proximal development (ZPD) was level of knowledge and then work to a certain extent developed by Lev Semenovich Vygotsky during the late beyond that level. 1920 and elaborated progressively until his death in 3. The third feature of scaffolding is that the 1934, which came to the central part of his scaffold, the support and guidance provided by the “scaffolding” theory. According to Lev Vygotsky, expert, is gradually removed as the learner becomes language is the way that a child communicates with more proficient. others after they are born and they continue to learn The support and guidance provided to the learner are by interacting with those around them [8]. Building on almost similar to the scaffolds in building construction his idea of social interaction as the bases for learning, where the scaffolds provide both “adjustable and he broached the value of a mentor or teacher in the life temporal” support to the building un