ZONE OF PROXIMAL DEVELOPMENT AND THE STUDY OF FEEDBACK IN SECOND LANGUAGE WRITING

Vygotsky’s concept of zone of proximal development (ZPD) has much been used as the theoretical basis for various studies investigating the role of feedback in second language (L2) classrooms. However, the relevance of ZPD to a discussion of feedback has never been clearly discussed. This article aims to provide explanation why the concept of ZPD fits the process of feedback in L2 writing through the four key aspects of ZPD which became the focus for Vygotsky in his development of the theory. This paper is of significance to language educators and researchers engaged in second language teaching and learning. Keywords: ZPD, social interaction, scaffolding, intellectual imitation, mediation, and internalizatio