The effect of soft vs. hard scaffolding on reading comprehension skill of EFL learners in different experimental conditions
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of using hard and soft scaffolding on Iranian EFL learners’ reading comprehension ability in two different experimental conditions, i.e. symmetrical and asymmetrical. One hundred and twenty Iranian intermediate EFL learners were recruited from...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2019-01-01
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| Series: | Cogent Education |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2019.1631562 |
| _version_ | 1797724980960559104 |
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| author | Haleh Mojarrabi Tabrizi Biook Behnam Mahnaz Saeidi |
| author_facet | Haleh Mojarrabi Tabrizi Biook Behnam Mahnaz Saeidi |
| author_sort | Haleh Mojarrabi Tabrizi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of using hard and soft scaffolding on Iranian EFL learners’ reading comprehension ability in two different experimental conditions, i.e. symmetrical and asymmetrical. One hundred and twenty Iranian intermediate EFL learners were recruited from a population of 400 based on their performance on a placement test. They were randomly assigned into five groups (four experimental groups and one control group), each containing 24 participants. A pre-test of reading comprehension was administered to ascertain the homogeneity of the participants. Then, the experimental groups were exposed to one of the intended treatments for 20 sessions, while the control group received only regular classroom reading instruction. Finally, the learners were given a post-test of reading comprehension used to measure their reading skill. The findings revealed that scaffolding had a positive effect on reading comprehension ability of EFL learners. Soft scaffolding was observed to be effective in asymmetrical condition; however, in symmetrical condition, the effectiveness was not observed. Moreover, hard scaffolding was found to be effective in both symmetrical and asymmetrical conditions. In both of these arrangements, the participants experienced improvement in their performances on the posttest. The implications are discussed in terms of the efficacy of hard and soft scaffolding in symmetrical vs. asymmetrical conditions in enhancing EFL learners’ reading comprehension. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T10:24:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-74afed72b85a40e2890488c7421c69fe |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2331-186X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T10:24:38Z |
| publishDate | 2019-01-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Cogent Education |
| spelling | doaj.art-74afed72b85a40e2890488c7421c69fe2023-09-02T09:48:43ZengTaylor & Francis GroupCogent Education2331-186X2019-01-016110.1080/2331186X.2019.16315621631562The effect of soft vs. hard scaffolding on reading comprehension skill of EFL learners in different experimental conditionsHaleh Mojarrabi Tabrizi0Biook Behnam1Mahnaz Saeidi2Tabriz Branch, Islamic Azad UniversityTabriz Branch, Islamic Azad UniversityTabriz Branch, Islamic Azad UniversityThe purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of using hard and soft scaffolding on Iranian EFL learners’ reading comprehension ability in two different experimental conditions, i.e. symmetrical and asymmetrical. One hundred and twenty Iranian intermediate EFL learners were recruited from a population of 400 based on their performance on a placement test. They were randomly assigned into five groups (four experimental groups and one control group), each containing 24 participants. A pre-test of reading comprehension was administered to ascertain the homogeneity of the participants. Then, the experimental groups were exposed to one of the intended treatments for 20 sessions, while the control group received only regular classroom reading instruction. Finally, the learners were given a post-test of reading comprehension used to measure their reading skill. The findings revealed that scaffolding had a positive effect on reading comprehension ability of EFL learners. Soft scaffolding was observed to be effective in asymmetrical condition; however, in symmetrical condition, the effectiveness was not observed. Moreover, hard scaffolding was found to be effective in both symmetrical and asymmetrical conditions. In both of these arrangements, the participants experienced improvement in their performances on the posttest. The implications are discussed in terms of the efficacy of hard and soft scaffolding in symmetrical vs. asymmetrical conditions in enhancing EFL learners’ reading comprehension.http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2019.1631562hard scaffoldingsoft scaffoldingsymmetricalasymmetricalreading comprehension |
| spellingShingle | Haleh Mojarrabi Tabrizi Biook Behnam Mahnaz Saeidi The effect of soft vs. hard scaffolding on reading comprehension skill of EFL learners in different experimental conditions Cogent Education hard scaffolding soft scaffolding symmetrical asymmetrical reading comprehension |
| title | The effect of soft vs. hard scaffolding on reading comprehension skill of EFL learners in different experimental conditions |
| title_full | The effect of soft vs. hard scaffolding on reading comprehension skill of EFL learners in different experimental conditions |
| title_fullStr | The effect of soft vs. hard scaffolding on reading comprehension skill of EFL learners in different experimental conditions |
| title_full_unstemmed | The effect of soft vs. hard scaffolding on reading comprehension skill of EFL learners in different experimental conditions |
| title_short | The effect of soft vs. hard scaffolding on reading comprehension skill of EFL learners in different experimental conditions |
| title_sort | effect of soft vs hard scaffolding on reading comprehension skill of efl learners in different experimental conditions |
| topic | hard scaffolding soft scaffolding symmetrical asymmetrical reading comprehension |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2019.1631562 |
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