Scaffolding writing instruction to promote students’ autonomy in concept paper writing

Abstract

In the context of academic writing, students’ capacity for independent writing is crucial to both their academic achievement and intellectual development. This study sought to explore the effectiveness of scaffolding writing instruction to promote students’ autonomy in concept paper writing. Employing an explanatory sequential mixed-method design, the study involved 30 introductions of a concept paper written by Grade 10 students as a pre-writing task and a post-writing task, as well as the rated survey questionnaires on autonomy before and after the intervention. A scaffolding writing intervention based on Vygotsky’s Psychosocial Constructivist Theory was conducted for two weeks. Using a set of inclusion and exclusion criteria, the three highest- and the three lowest-scoring students were invited to a one-on-one interview. Data were analyzed through mean and standard deviation. The findings reveal significant improvements in students’ learning autonomy in concept paper writing in the following areas: own learning goal, own learning plan, methodology, learning process, learning progression, strategy, and as a whole. Furthermore, findings from the interview reveal the following insights: enhanced content development and knowledge; improved writing structure and organization; strengthened grammatical accuracy and word choice; increased awareness of writing mechanics; increased confidence in writing; ability to self-correct and apply learned skills; and application beyond the classroom. Based on the key findings, an action plan for a professional development program on scaffolding writing instruction to promote students’ autonomy in concept paper writing for teaching and related teaching personnel was crafted. Keywords: scaffolding writing instruction, students’ autonomy, concept paper writing, independent writing, scaffolding writing intervention