Exploring the Effect of Instructional Scaffolding on Foundation Level Students’ Writing at the City University College of Ajman: A Case Study

Abstract

The present research is a small-scale case study with a 15-week intervention aiming to identify lower intermediate language learners’ major writing challenges and explore the effect of instructional scaffolding on their writing skills and abilities. Scaffolding is central to the broader theories of constructivism and Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory. Nine Foundation Level students enrolled in an Intensive English Program at the City University College of Ajman, United Arab Emirates, participated in this study. This study is observational, descriptive, and interpretive. The researcher used three qualitative and quantitative data collection instruments: pre-and post-writing tests, a focus-group interview, and a student attitude questionnaire to triangulate and gain reliable, valid data. The findings revealed some major writing issues, including paucity of ideas, lack of grammatical and lexical knowledge, proper organization, and problems with spelling and punctuation. However, the pre-posttest results indicated improved students’ writing skills and abilities, mainly in task completion, paragraph organization, lexical range, and writing fluency. The study also finds that students need more time and practice to produce accurate and error-free essays. Accordingly, the researcher recommends engaging students in research-based strategies and activities in all writing phases to raise their awareness of grammatical and lexical mistakes, increase their learning and reflection, and boost their confidence.