From Low-Proficiency Loops to Hybrid Scaffolding: Adolescent EFL Learners' Perceptions of Peer-Mediated Vocabulary Learning

Abstract

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.