The Effects of Symmetrical and Asymmetrical Scaffolding on Speaking Complexity, Accuracy, and Fluency

Abstract

This experimental study was set ought to explore the efficacy of symmetrical and asymmetrical scaffolding in boosting speaking complexity, accuracy, and fluency among 38 upper-intermediate EFL learners. To this end, the participants were assigned into random, homogeneous, and heterogeneous groups. The control group participated in normal speaking classroom, while the experimental groups shared their ideas and collaboratively complete tasks related to 7 lessons of New Interchange 2 during 15 sessions. Two different versions of IELTS speaking test were used as pre/post-test. The data were audio recorded and transcribed for statistical analysis. The results of Multivariate tests revealed that there was a statistically significant difference between the mean scores of control and experimental groups on complexity and fluency. On the other hand, descriptive statistics showed the superiority of heterogeneous groups over homogeneous ones. However, the results of Independent sample t-test indicated that the differences between homogeneous and heterogeneous groups reached the significant level just for complexity not fluency and accuracy. Briefly, the results lead support to the Vegotsky�s (1978) socio-cultural theory. The findings and pedagogical implications were discussed in details at the end of the study.Keywords: accuracy, asymmetrical scaffolding, complexity, fluency, symmetrical scaffolding

The Effects of Online Flipped Reading Instruction Utilizing Scaffolding and Digital Badges on EFL Deep Comprehension and Reading Engagement

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Tools for Scaffolding the Development of L2 Speaking in English-medium Higher Education: Lessons from Poland and Australia

“…The next strand of research comprises interventionist studies that optimise the development of L2 speaking and explore the effect of scaffolding strategies on L2 speaking (Mirahmadi & Alavi, 2016;Zarandi & Rahbar, 2016). The studies in the last group examine the effectiveness of scaffolding interventions with the use of various scaffolding strategies (Ghasedi et al, 2018;Shooshtari et al, 2018).…”

“…Xia, 2021). With regard to scaffolding the development of L2 speaking, the term has been used to refer to various classroom strategies (Ahmadpour et al, 2016;Gerakopoulou, 2016;Ghasedi et al, 2018;Zarandi & Rahbar, 2016), specific teacher-led activities, such as, for example, warm-up, pairwork and introduction of new language (Gilead, 2018), corrective feedback (Shooshtari et al, 2018), peer interactions (Ahmadpour et al, 2016;Azir, 2019;Nguyen, 2013), and technology (Kozar, 2016;Mirahmadi & Alavi, 2016;Tudini, 2003). While these studies suggest that scaffolding facilitates the development of L2 speaking ability, research has not explicitly addressed the notion of tools for scaffolding the development of speaking skills.…”

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“…Holec (1981) asserts that being autonomous enable learners to set goals, select contents, choose appropriate methods, control their learning, and assess their progress. Ghasedi et al (2018) note that autonomous learners are more willing to participate in classroom interactions and negotiations. Zarei and Gahremani (2010) added that learners with the higher level of autonomy are more active and effective in language acquisition.…”

“…The review of literature indicated that autonomy is linked to motivation (Hua, 2009;Li & Yu, 2008) self-efficacy (Li & Yu, 2008;Wu & Zhang, 2009) effective learning (Vickers & Enn, 2006), critical thinking (Fahim & Haghighi, 2014), language proficiency (Qi, 2011), and speaking fluency, accuracy, and complexity (Ghasedi et al, 2018) The efficacy of teachers' professional identity and assessment literacy is well documented. Likewise, a conclusive review of previous studies indicates that learner autonomy is a vital variable in language acquisition.…”