Scaffolding Word Solving While Reading: New Research Insights

Abstract

For many teachers, the term scaffolding has come to mean providing just the right amount of help when a student encounters difficulty. However, there is another facet of scaffolding that has been largely ignored, and that is making decisions about what to focus on to help the student. In this article, new research findings are shared about both types of scaffolding and the role they play in helping beginning readers solve new words while reading connected text. Suggestions are provided for how teachers can use these findings to more effectively scaffold young students’ word solving attempts as they read a new book with teacher help.

Teachers’ Perceptions of Scaffolding Efl Students’ Reading Comprehension at High Schools in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam

“…The term 'scaffolding' is widely researched in English language teaching and learning with particular regard to enhancing students' higher-order thinking abilities and successful learning of reading contents (Belland, 2014;Rodgers, 2017;Wood, Bruner, & Ross, 1976). In the educational setting, scaffolding was first developed by Wood, Bruner, and Ross (1976) who undertook a study on parent-child talk.…”

“…These lines of reasoning suggest that once students can accomplish a given task, scaffolding is likely to remove or become faded since students can become independent (Ankrum, Genest, & Belcastro, 2014;Reynolds & Daniel, 2018;Walqui, 2006). Other researchers associate scaffolding with the concept of Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) (e.g., Booth, 2012;Rodgers, 2017;Salem, 2017). ZPD is viewed as "the distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance or in cooperation with more capable peers" (Vygotsky, 1978, p. 86).…”

Targeting Prompts When Scaffolding Word Solving During Guided Reading

“…Successful readers combine meaning, structure, and visual information to solve unfamiliar words and monitor as they read. Guided reading instruction can teach readers how to integrate these sources of information by prompting and cueing for neglected information sources (Rodgers, 2017;Rodgers et al, 2016).…”

“…eading teachers, such as Ms. Santiago (all names are pseudonyms), frequently use scaffolding to help learners understand what they are reading and support them as they learn how to read. Recent research on scaffolding word solving can inform how reading teachers adjust the type and amount of information offered to students (Rodgers, 2017). These teaching moves can be used in guided reading, where there is a need for resources about how teachers can scaffold students solving words.…”

Scaffolding Literacy Learning Through Talk: Stance as a Pedagogical Tool

“…More than simply feeling awkward, these types of interactions can be an obstacle for teachers in supporting their students’ literacy development. Effective scaffolding of students’ reading and writing requires teachers to continually adapt the amount and type of support they offer, adjusting their responses to the text, the task, and the student in that moment (Rodgers, 2017; Webb, Massey, Goggans, & Flajole, 2019).…”