THE DYNAMICS OF SCAFFOLDING IN COLLABORATIVE WRITING: A QUALITATIVE STUDY IN A LANGUAGE CLASSROOM
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21009/ishel.v2i1.56906Keywords:
scaffolding, collaborative writing, Zone of Proximal Development, language classroom, qualitative studyAbstract
This study examines the dynamics of scaffolding in collaborative writing activities in a language classroom, using a descriptive qualitative approach. The theoretical foundation draws on Vygotsky’s view that writing is a social process mediated through interaction within the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). Many students experience writing anxiety when working individually, while group work without structured scaffolding is often unproductive. The study was conducted in a language classroom involving six small groups of students composing discussion texts. Data were collected through audio-visual recordings, draft documents, and semi-structured interviews, and were analyzed using Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña’s interactive model, encompassing data condensation, data display, and conclusion drawing and verification. The findings show that scaffolding manifested in two principal forms: macro-scaffolding, realized through task guidance from the teacher, and micro-scaffolding, realized through spontaneous dialogue among students. Together, these two forms synergistically helped students build textual cohesion and genre appropriateness. The study concludes that planned, gradual collaborative scaffolding effectively facilitates students’ transition from an inability to write independently toward writing autonomy.
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