A Study On The Effects Of Peer Scaffolding On Junior High School Students’ English Writing

In junior high school English writing classes,effective and appropriate writing mode not only lays a foundation for the improvement of the writing ability and language competence,but also has a significant effect on learners’ attitudes.Peer scaffolding,a branch of the scaffolding instruction mode,aims to create a learning situation where students can complete their established tasks with the help of peers.It emphasizes the importance of teamwork and reflects the concept of cooperative learning.Supported by the Scaffolding Theory of Zone of Proximal Development Theory,this study introduces peer scaffolding into junior high school students’ writing classes to explore the effects of peer scaffolding on junior high school students’ English writing.Based on previous studies,this research mainly discusses three questions:(1)What are the effects of peer scaffolding on junior high school students’ English writing achievements?(2)What are the effects of peer scaffolding on junior high school students of different English writing levels(high,intermediate,and low level)respectively?(3)What are the effects of peer scaffolding on junior high school students’ attitudes towards English writing?The research participants in this study were from two parallel classes in Grade 8 of Minqin No.6 Middle School,with 40 students in each class.Class 8 was experimental class and Class 6 was control class.The entire study lasted 12 weeks.The two classes were pre-tested to make sure there was no discernible difference between the two classes’ English writing achievements.At the same time,the students in the experimental class filled out the questionnaire of junior high school students’ attitudes towards English writing.During the experiment,experimental class adopted peer scaffolding for instruction whereas the control class adopted the product approach.After the experiment,both classes took the post-test to see if there were any changes between the two classes,the students in the experimental class completed the questionnaire again.Finally,the author used SPSS to analyze the data of the two classes.The data analysis of the study showed that: 1)peer scaffolding had positive effects on junior high school students’ English writing achievements,especially on the accuracy of language and content richness.2)peer scaffolding had effects on junior high school students of different English writing levels.The intermediate and low-level students made great progresses in English writing while having less obvious effects on high-level students.3)peer scaffolding had positive effects on junior high school students’ English writing attitudes.Specifically,peer scaffolding had significantly improved students’ cognitive level of English writing;developed their sense of participation and achievement;enabled students to form more correct and scientific writing behavior.In addition,in order to offer a valuable reference for the current practice of junior high school English writing education,the author also pointed out the pedagogical implications,limitations and suggestions for future research.