CC BY
1EURASIAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, PHILOSOPHY AND CULTURE
Innovative Academy Research Support Center UIF = 8.2 | SJIF = 8.165 www.in-academy.uz
ADVANTAGES OF SCAFFOLDING IN TEACHING READING
COMPREHENSION
Kasimkhodjayeva Mutabar Alimdjanovna
Tashkent University of Applied Sciences English language faculty 3 Theoretical aspects of English Language 3 department https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11399264
EURASIAN I0URNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES
PHILOSOPHY AND CULTURE
ARTICLE INFO
ABSTRACT
Received: 23th May 2024 Accepted: 29th May 2024 Online: 31th May 2024
KEYWORDS Scaffolding, Reading
comprehension, Education, Teaching strategies, Gradual skill development, Diverse learners, Active
engagement, Prior
knowledge, Metacognitive awareness, Collaboration, Confidence, Motivation.
This article explores the benefits of employing scaffolding techniques in teaching reading comprehension. Scaffolding involves providing structured support to students as they engage with texts, gradually fading this support as students develop their comprehension skills. The article examines key advantages of scaffolding, including gradual skill development, support for diverse learners, active engagement, building prior knowledge, promoting metacognitive awareness, fostering collaboration, and increasing confidence and motivation.
Introduction:
Teaching reading comprehension is a multifaceted endeavor, requiring educators to consider the diverse needs, abilities, and backgrounds of their students. One effective approach to supporting students in developing their comprehension skills is scaffolding. Scaffolding involves providing temporary support and guidance to students as they navigate challenging texts, gradually reducing this support as students become more proficient readers. In this article, we explore the numerous advantages of scaffolding in teaching reading comprehension. From fostering gradual skill development to promoting collaboration and boosting confidence and motivation, scaffolding offers a range of benefits that enhance the learning experience for all students. Through an examination of key advantages and their implications for teaching practice, educators can gain valuable insights into the effectiveness of scaffolding as a pedagogical strategy for promoting reading comprehension. The advantages of scaffolding in teaching reading comprehension are deeply rooted in several theoretical frameworks from educational psychology and cognitive science. Here are some key theoretical foundations that underpin the effectiveness of scaffolding: Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD): Scaffolding is closely aligned with Vygotsky's ZPD, which refers to the difference between what a learner can do independently and what they can achieve with the guidance and support of a more knowledgeable other. Scaffolding involves providing temporary support to students within their ZPD, allowing them to accomplish tasks that would be beyond their current level of competence on their own.
EURASIAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, PHILOSOPHY AND CULTURE
Innovative Academy Research Support Center UIF = 8.2 | SJIF = 8.165 www.in-academy.uz
Certainly, scaffolding in teaching reading comprehension is a widely researched and effective method. Here's a breakdown of some of its advantages based on existing literature:
Gradual Skill Development: Scaffolding allows educators to introduce complex reading skills in a gradual and structured manner. By breaking down tasks into smaller, manageable steps, students can build their comprehension skills incrementally. This gradual progression prevents overwhelming students and helps them feel more confident in their abilities.
Support for Diverse Learners: Scaffolding can be tailored to meet the diverse needs of students with varying abilities and backgrounds. Teachers can provide additional support or modify instruction to accommodate individual learning styles, ensuring that all students have access to the necessary resources and guidance to succeed in reading comprehension.
Active Engagement: Scaffolding encourages active engagement and participation in the learning process. By providing students with prompts, questions, and guidance, educators stimulate critical thinking and encourage deeper engagement with the text. This active involvement promotes a deeper understanding of the material and enhances retention.
Building Prior Knowledge: Scaffolding helps students connect new information to their existing knowledge and experiences. By activating prior knowledge and making connections between concepts, students can better understand and contextualize the text they are reading. This process of building on prior knowledge enhances comprehension and retention of information.
Promoting Metacognitive Awareness: Scaffolding prompts students to reflect on their own thinking processes and strategies. By explicitly modeling and discussing effective reading strategies, educators help students develop metacognitive awareness—the ability to monitor and regulate their own comprehension processes. This metacognitive awareness empowers students to become more independent and strategic readers over time.
Fostering Collaboration: Scaffolding can promote collaborative learning environments where students work together to construct meaning from texts. Through peer discussions, group activities, and cooperative learning tasks, students can share ideas, clarify understanding, and support each other's comprehension efforts. This collaborative approach not only enhances comprehension but also fosters communication and teamwork skills.
Increasing Confidence and Motivation: Scaffolding provides students with the support and encouragement they need to tackle challenging texts with confidence. As students experience success and develop their comprehension skills, they become more motivated to engage with reading materials and take on increasingly complex tasks. This positive reinforcement cycle boosts self-esteem and fosters a lifelong love of reading.
By leveraging scaffolding techniques in teaching reading comprehension, educators can create inclusive, engaging, and effective learning experiences that empower students to become skilled and confident readers.
Main Body:
Scaffolding in teaching reading comprehension offers several advantages that contribute to enhanced learning outcomes for students.
1. Gradual Skill Development: Scaffolding allows educators to introduce complex reading skills in a step-by-step manner, starting with foundational concepts and gradually building towards more advanced strategies. This gradual progression ensures that students are not
EURASIAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, PHILOSOPHY AND CULTURE
Innovative Academy Research Support Center UIF = 8.2 | SJIF = 8.165 www.in-academy.uz
overwhelmed by the complexity of the material and can master each skill before moving on to the next.
2. Support for Diverse Learners: Every student has unique strengths, challenges, and learning styles. Scaffolding can be tailored to meet the diverse needs of students, providing additional support or modifications as necessary. For example, educators can offer extra guidance to struggling readers while challenging more advanced students with higher-level questioning and tasks.
3. Active Engagement: Scaffolding encourages active engagement and participation in the learning process. By providing students with prompts, questions, and opportunities for discussion, educators stimulate critical thinking and promote deeper engagement with the text. This active involvement helps students develop a deeper understanding of the material and improves their retention of key concepts.
4. Building Prior Knowledge: Scaffolding helps students connect new information to their existing knowledge and experiences. By activating prior knowledge and making connections between concepts, students can better understand and contextualize the text they are reading. This process of building on prior knowledge enhances comprehension and helps students make meaningful connections between different pieces of information.
5. Promoting Metacognitive Awareness: Scaffolding prompts students to reflect on their own thinking processes and comprehension strategies. By explicitly modeling and discussing effective reading strategies, educators help students develop metacognitive awareness—the ability to monitor and regulate their own comprehension processes. This metacognitive awareness empowers students to become more independent and strategic readers over time.
6. Fostering Collaboration: Scaffolding encourages collaborative learning environments where students work together to construct meaning from texts. Through peer discussions, group activities, and cooperative learning tasks, students can share ideas, clarify understanding, and support each other's comprehension efforts. This collaborative approach not only enhances comprehension but also fosters communication and teamwork skills.
7. Increasing Confidence and Motivation: As students experience success and develop their comprehension skills through scaffolding, they become more confident and motivated readers. By providing support and encouragement, educators help students tackle challenging texts with confidence, leading to a positive reinforcement cycle where increased confidence leads to greater motivation and engagement with reading materials.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, scaffolding is a highly effective strategy for teaching reading comprehension that offers numerous advantages for students and educators alike. By providing structured support, scaffolding helps students develop their comprehension skills in a gradual and systematic manner, while also catering to the diverse needs of learners. Through active engagement, building on prior knowledge, promoting metacognitive awareness, fostering collaboration, and boosting confidence and motivation, scaffolding creates a supportive learning environment where all students can thrive.
EURASIAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, PHILOSOPHY AND CULTURE
Innovative Academy Research Support Center UIF = 8.2 | SJIF = 8.165 www.in-academy.uz
References:
1. Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes*. Harvard University Press.
2. Wood, D., Bruner, J. S., & Ross, G. (1976). The role of tutoring in problem-solving. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Allied Disciplines, 17(2), 89-100.
3. Palincsar, A. S., & Brown, A. L. (1984). Reciprocal teaching of comprehension-fostering and comprehension-monitoring activities. Cognition and Instruction, 1(2), 117-175.
4. Pressley, M., & Woloshyn, V. E. (1995). Cognitive strategy instruction that really improves children's academic performance. Cambridge University Press.
5. Guthrie, J. T., & Wigfield, A. (2000). Engagement and motivation in reading. In M. L. Kamil, P. B. Mosenthal, P. D. Pearson, & R. Barr (Eds.), Handbook of reading research (Vol. 3, pp. 403-422). Erlbaum.
