EFL Instructors’ Application of Scaffolding in Writing Lessons: The Case of Wollega University

Abstract

The study aimed at exploring the extent to which EFL teachers scaffold their learners in the writing classrooms of Communicative English Language Skills II. To this end, a case study design in which six English instructors from Wollega University were selected purposively was used. They were video recorded while teaching writing lessons. Totally, fifteen sessions of the instructors were observed and data were taken from nine sessions. Then, the data were transcribed into text. Next, interactional episodes were separately identified and coded for contingency which involves scaffolding based on van de Pol's (2012) model of contingency teaching. The finding indicated that there was limited interaction in the writing classroom as teachers dominate the class. Besides, the interactions available in the writing classrooms were the traditional initiation-response-feedback (IRF) patterns that hinder students' learning and most of the extended interactions were characterized by short students' turns. Thus, it was concluded that teachers were not properly scaffolding the development of students’ writing. This urges teachers to give attention to the concept of scaffolding in their teaching to provide proper assistance for their learners.