Sociocultural Theory and the Teaching of Process Writing: The Scaffolding of Learning in a University Context

Abstract

This paper considers how independent & interdependent learning can be fostered through a process approach to the teaching of writing. It does so by presenting the theoretical rational which underlies a university academic skills program. Drawing on reports of this program which have been published elsewhere (e.g., Brine & Campbell, 2002), it is a case study illustrating how scaffolding can be effected by teachers & students. The paper begins by briefly reviewing three central concepts of sociocultural theory: the zone of proximal development, scaffolding, & appropriation. Attention is then turned to a consideration of writing as a collaborative process rather than as a product of solitary endeavor. Details are provided about a university course which applies sociocultural concepts to the adoption of a process approach to EAP writing. Attention is then given to the ways by which six principles of scaffolding (Van Lier, 1996) are applied throughout the course. Firstly, various forms of tutor scaffolding are outlined, & then a short sample of transcript data illustrates how students on this course can work collaboratively to co-construct texts & scaffold each other's learning. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of the broader pedagogical implications of sociocultural theory to the teaching of writing. References. Adapted from the source document