Leyes Aplicables

Two types of scaffolding, the soft scaffolding and the hard type, are presenting to help EFL students achieve their learning goals. Soft scaffolding comes from real persons, including knowledgeable teachers and more capable peers (Bruner, 1986; Vygotsky, 1978). It is in association with interactive learning. Empirical studies confirm the contribution of soft scaffolding via interaction to students’ language development (e.g., Hayati, Jalilifar, & Mashhadi, 2013; Hsieh, 2017; Jalilvand, 2014; Langari, Gorizi, & Rezaie, 2017; Pifarre & Cobos, 2010; Riazi & Rezaii, 2011).

As suggested by Swain (1985), in interactive learning, peer scaffolding works as learners scaffold each other, and they are pushed to produce modified language output via interactive activities. Parga Herrera (2011) found that scaffolding from peers in interactive learning encouraged EFL learners in the classroom. Chang and Sun (2009) indicated that language learners were accepted about peer scaffolding. Nishida (2012) also found that EFL students might be in need of peer scaffolding when facing

By involvement in interactive learning, EFL learners can intentionally construct their language knowledge via mutual scaffolding within the range of their ZPD (Cheng, 2009). Studies have noticed that peer collaboration and interaction scaffold the development of language abilities (e.g., de Guerrero & Villamil, 2000; Johnson & Johnson, 2000; Lee, 2010; Storch, 2007; Van Lier, 2004). It is widely accepted by language learners in their interactive learning process (Barnard & Campbell, 2005; McDonough, 2004).

Nguyen (2013) investigated the effects of peer scaffolding on EFL students’ performance in a collaborative oral presentation task. It also examined how Vietnamese EFL students benefited from peer scaffolding during their English learning process. Data were gathered from 12 EFL students via reflective reports and interviews. Results of the case study indicated that peers’ mutual scaffolding

positively encouraged EFL students to overcome many challenges in oral

presentations. Peer scaffolding was preferred by EFL students in the study. It was concluded that scaffolding can effectively assist EFL students to achieve higher than they can do in an individual context and progress through their ZPDs.

It is noted however, that peer scaffolding is usually neglected by language learners. Empirical studies have noticed that EFL students usually do not know how to provide scaffolding to peers in interactive learning because of a lack of language

abilities and knowledge (e.g., Ashewell, 2000; Hu, 2005, Leki, 1990). Peers are not always regarded as “knowledge authorities” either, leading to less acceptance of peer scaffolding in the learning process (Hanrahan & Isaacs, 2001; Lee, 2017; Riazi & Rezaii, 2011; Strijbos, Narciss, & Dunnebier, 2010). Some EFL students also display a negative attitude towards peer scaffolding in language learning since they doubt its effectiveness and correctness (Ishihara & Chiba, 2014; Patri, 2002; Rezaei, 2012; Roskams, 1999; Ruegg, 2015).

For example, a study conducted by Riazi and Rezaii (2011) revealed that EFL students believed that teachers were a more effective source of scaffolding in EFL learning. The study focused on the effects of scaffolding on EFL students’

autonomous writing practices. Twenty-five EFL students from Iran participated in the experimental study. Pre- and post-tests, audio records and learning logs were used for collecting data. Findings from the study indicated that from students’ perspectives, teacher scaffolding was more effective on promoting EFL students’ skill build-up than peer scaffolding.

Peer scaffolding, as a source of assistance to foreign language learning, is one of the focuses of the present study. It reviews EFL students’ perceptions of and

engagement in peer scaffolding, and attempts to find out whether peer scaffolding can help them achieve their learning goals. It also focuses on the way Chinese university

EFL students administer peer scaffolding in an online context. It can reveal more information about this helpful way of language learning, particularly its impacts on learning in a new online context.

Besides peers, teachers are another major source of soft scaffolding in language learning (Davis & Miyake, 2004; Jang, Reeve, & Deci, 2010), particularly for EFL students from Asian countries (Li, 2017; Liang & McQueen, 1999). Teacher

scaffolding benefits their language development by providing comprehensible input (Daniels, 1994). Empirical studies have suggested that teachers’ involvement and scaffolding, as well as teacher-led instructions, in language learning usually have a positive correlation with students’ engagement, leading to productive learning outcomes as well (e.g., Ahangari, Hejazi, & Razmjou, 2014; Ameri & Seyedrezaei, 2015; Gray et al., 2005; Goodison, 2003; Faraj, 2015; Langari, Gorizi, & Rezaie, 2017; Talakoob & Shafiee, 2017; Talebinejad & Akhgar, 2015; Zand-Moghadam & Alizadeh, 2015).

An experimental study focused on Iranian EFL learners’ content retention of summary writing in language learning (Ahangari, Hejazi, & Razmjou, 2014). Data were collected from 40 female EFL students via a written post-test. Results of the study indicated that teacher scaffolding had positive effects on the content retention of the EFL learners’ writing practices. Scaffolding worked as a strong support for these

learners to achieve higher levels of learning goals. More methods for data collection from wider sources are used in the present study, leading to a closer examination of the effects of teacher scaffolding on EFL learning in a different Chinese context.

Langari, Gorizi, and Rezaie (2017) conducted a study to investigate the effects of teacher scaffolding on EFL vocabulary learning. Data were collected from 108 Iranian high school EFL students via a pre- and a post-test. Results of this experimental study indicated that compared with computers and student themselves, teacher scaffolding can help achieve the best outcomes. It highlighted the contributing role that teacher scaffolding played for high school EFL students. For adult university students, the effects of teacher scaffolding are in need of further investigation, which is a focal part of the current study focusing on a Chinese EFL education context.

Although empirical studies have put focus on the impacts of both teacher and peer scaffolding on EFL learning and teaching across the world, it remains a question how Chinese university EFL students view and employ the two types of scaffolding for their online interactive learning, particularly in an autonomous context. This point is further investigated in the present study. This study also compares the possible differences between teacher scaffolding and peer scaffolding, as well as their varied impacts on language learning. It hopefully will provide some insights of soft