Abstract
Scaffolding is one of the key dimensions of the sociocultural theory that has been proposed in a substantial body of work as a potential metaphor for promoting second language (L2) learning. However, there is plenty of evidence that the term is misinterpreted and presents a number of epistemological problems. The first and foremost concerns the phenomenological nature of scaffolding in the sense that the original conception of the notion does not support its implication in mainstream second language acquisition (SLA) contexts. To substantiate the claim, we have proposed four underlying factors, including predictability, variability, mediation, and restructuring. The second has to do with the range of variation in the conceptual meaning of scaffolding, which normally leads to a state of confusion in the operational definition of the term in the SLA practice and research. Reviewing the texts, we have then found three fundamental points in the definitions of scaffolding, each with specific logical and methodological problems. From the above evidence, it can be argued that scaffolding is not a construct that meets the pedagogical goals of L2 learning and development. The paper then concludes that as long as the nature of scaffolding and its underpinnings in SLA are at stake, future research on the notion will most likely suffer a severe loss of pedagogical and intellectual validity.
Highlights
An issue historically central to the field of second language acquisition (SLA) research is Bruner’s (1983) proposition of “scaffolding” as a metaphor to theorize an assistance mediated through interaction to help a child to perform a new task or function
The notion is inspired by Vygotsky’s (1978) socio-cultural theory of learning, the notion of Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) which is conventionally defined as the cognitive gap between what learners can do unaided and what they can do with assistance (Lantolf 2011)
Despite the early conception of the ZPD assumed to regulate the interaction between learning and development (Lantolf 2005), there are voices (e.g., Ellis 1994, 2008; Lantolf 2005; Shayer 2003; Thorne and Tasker 2011; Van Greet (1998); Van Lier 2004) indicating that Vygotsky never made any reference to how the notion can be operationalized in the actual context of classroom because the issue of ZPD gained prominence in the research and theory after his death
Summary
An issue historically central to the field of second language acquisition (SLA) research is Bruner’s (1983) proposition of “scaffolding” as a metaphor to theorize an assistance mediated through interaction to help a child to perform a new task or function.
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