Jul 2026· Theory and Practice in Language Studies· Vol 16, pp. 2209-2220· 0 citations
Abstract
Guided by Sociocultural Theory, this study explores micro-level peer scaffolding strategies used by symmetrical EFL university students across pre-, while-, and post-writing stages. Using a mixed-methods design, data from audio recordings, interviews, and questionnaires (N=150) were analyzed via an expanded coding framework. Results show scaffolding is stage-sensitive: conceptual strategies (e.g., Questioning–Clarifying) dominated pre-writing; strategic moves (e.g., Stating–Modeling) guided drafting; and evaluative strategies (e.g., Suggesting–Rewording) supported revision. Affective scaffolding, though less frequent, underpinned a collaborative climate. A key finding was the gap between observed frequent questioning and learners' lower self-reported use, suggesting culturally mediated implicit mediation. The study offers a stage-based scaffolding model, demonstrating how reciprocal peer dialogue within a shared ZPD transforms writing from an individual task into a co-constructed process, with implications for fostering autonomy and competence in collaborative EFL writing instruction.
While scaffolding has long been widely recognized as central to learning from a sociocultural perspective, prior studies have largely focused on identifying its characteristics or interactional strategies, leaving its interactional processes underexplored. This study adopts a conversation‐analysis (CA)‐informed sociocultural approach to investigate how scaffolding was interactionally enacted in peer group interactions among English as a foreign language (EFL) students at a Chinese university. The findings reveal two recurrent interactional routes to peer scaffolding: dynamic contingent support, through which diagnosis and assistance were interwoven within ongoing reasoning instead of being organized as a sequential ‘diagnosis‐then‐support’ process and thinking with divergent perspectives, through which alternative viewpoints were interactionally accommodated and assimilated into shared mediational resources. The study advances our understanding of scaffolding by specifying its micro‐interactional foundations and it details the pedagogical implications of this understanding for efforts to facilitate productive peer discussions in university EFL classrooms.
Qin Yin, Citing Li· International Journal of App...· 0 citations
Grounded in Sociocultural Theory (SCT), this mixed-method study investigates the underexplored emotional and motivational dimensions of peer scaffolding in academic writing among Vietnamese EFL university students. Addressing the dominance of cognitively oriented research, the study examines learners’ perceptions and experiences of affective support in collaborative writing. Data were collected through surveys (N=150), interviews (N=20), and observations of peer interactions (10 dyads). Findings reveal a strong shared perception of the emotional value of peer scaffolding (M = 4.19/5) and identify a two-layer support system combining dynamic peer motivation and emotional support, forming an Emotional ZPD that facilitates cognitive risk-taking. However, Confucian face-saving norms simultaneously foster harmony and constrain critical feedback. The study advances SCT by operationalizing perezhivanie and extending the concept of Emotional ZPD with pedagogical implications for similar EFL contexts.
N. P. B. Khôi, Phan Duy Khoi, L. Ha et al.· Theory and Practice in Langu...· 0 citations
Oral corrective feedback (OCF) is widely recognised as a key pedagogical mechanism in the development of second language speaking proficiency; however, existing research has largely examined OCF in controlled settings or focused on isolated feedback types, offering limited insight into how feedback is interpreted, negotiated, and enacted within authentic classroom interaction. Addressing this gap, this qualitative study examines how cognitive, social, and affective processes shape teachers’ and students’ experiences of feedback in Chinese university English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom. Rather than treating OCF as a purely technical corrective move, the study conceptualises it as a relational and context-sensitive pedagogical process. Drawing on interactionist and sociocultural perspectives, the study investigates the perspectives of 12 university English teachers and 24 undergraduate students across fluency- and accuracy-oriented speaking tasks. Data were generated through semi-structured interviews, non-participant classroom observations, and stimulated-recall sessions, and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. The findings indicate that OCF is understood not merely as a technical response to linguistic error but as a relational pedagogical practice embedded in task demands, classroom norms, and interpersonal considerations. Teachers emphasised the strategic calibration of timing, explicitness, and scaffolding to support noticing and self-repair, while students foregrounded relational sensitivity, emotional safety, and face protection as conditions for meaningful engagement with feedback. Three interrelated tensions were identified: negotiating explicit correction alongside affective comfort, managing face and hierarchical relations during public feedback, and orchestrating teacher, peer, self-, and technology-supported feedback within everyday classroom activity. Overall, the study demonstrates that the effectiveness of OCF emerges from the dynamic coordination of cognitive, affective, and interactional factors rather than from isolated feedback techniques. The study contributes to EFL pedagogy in Asian higher education by offering a reconceptualised understanding of OCF as a relational, affect-sensitive, and contextually mediated process, with implications for designing task-sensitive and learner-responsive feedback practices.
Rong Zhu, M. Mokhtar· Asian-Pacific Journal of Sec...· 0 citations
This study explores how social constructivism influences academic writing through scaffolding, peer comments, and peer evaluation. Grounded in Lev Vygotsky’s Social Constructivism Theory (1978), the study examines the relationship between scaffold, Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), and More Knowledgeable Other (MKO) in academic writing practices. A quantitative research design was employed using a 5-point Likert-scale survey distributed to 61 respondents. The instrument consisted of three main variables: scaffold, measured through step-by-step instruction and colour-coding; ZPD, measured through peer comments; and MKO, measured through evaluative review. Reliability analysis showed high internal consistency with Cronbach alpha values of .934 for scaffold, .877 for ZPD, and .907 for MKO, with an overall reliability score of .955. The findings revealed that respondents had positive perceptions of scaffolding, peer comments, and peer evaluation in improving academic writing skills. Students agreed that step-by-step guidance and colour-coding helped them understand essay structures more effectively, while peer comments and evaluative reviews enhanced clarity, organization, and understanding of mistakes in essay writing. Correlation analysis further indicated strong positive relationships between scaffold and ZPD (r=.735), ZPD and MKO (r=.815), and MKO and scaffold (r=.768), with all relationships being statistically significant at p<.001. The study highlights the importance of collaborative learning, guided support, and peer interaction in academic writing development. The findings suggest that integrating scaffolding and peer-based strategies into writing instruction can improve learners’ confidence, engagement, and writing performance while promoting more interactive and meaningful academic learning experiences.
Zarina Razlan, Noor Hanim binti Rahmat, M. Karis· International journal of res...· 0 citations
Lexical acquisition continues to pose a recurring obstacle for Indonesian EFL learners, largely owing to the scarcity of authentic English exposure beyond the classroom setting. Although peer interaction has been widely regarded as a pedagogically viable alternative, relatively few studies have examined how learners personally construct and interpret meaning from such exchanges within structured vocabulary learning activities. This study adopts a descriptive qualitative approach to examine senior high school students’ perceptions toward peer interaction in the context of English vocabulary learning. Employing purposive sampling, three tenth-grade students representing distinct proficiency levels were recruited as focal participants at a public senior high school in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Data collection relied on semi-structured interviews and non-participatory classroom observations, with the resulting data analyzed through Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six-phase thematic analysis procedure. Four overarching themes emerged from the analysis: (1) peer interaction fosters a psychologically safe learning environment that effectively reduces students’ affective filters; (2) collaborative engagement in shared tasks promotes bidirectional lexical retention among participants; (3) proficiency-homogeneous groupings, particularly among lower-ability learners, generate communicative stagnation commonly referred to as a “low-proficiency loops”; and (4) contemporary adolescent learners strategically draw upon digital tools as part of a “hybrid scaffolding” resource to compensate for the limitations inherent in human-to-human interaction. Collectively, these findings underscore that the success of peer-mediated vocabulary learning is substantially dependent on deliberate instructional grouping decisions and the thoughtful incorporation of technology into the learning process.
This study examined the group mediation and regulation of online A2-level English learners during synchronous speaking tasks without teacher assistance. Based on Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory, this study examined technology-mediated interaction and student agency among 15 pre-intermediate adult students at a Mexican university. Using Rico’s (2016) framework, nine Zoom sessions were transcribed and coded for regulation strategies. Results show Participation Structure Regulation (n = 44) and Laughter and Empathy (n = 43) are common, emphasizing social bonding and emotional safety in language use. A peer regulator role emerged as a strategy in response to Zoom breakout room constraints. The study also found that peer scaffolding can lead to linguistic errors from stronger students. These results suggest that breakout rooms are autonomous spaces where affective regulation is vital but requires targeted teacher feedback to avoid fossilizing errors.
