The scaffolding of group work in teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) in Indonesian primary classrooms

Drawing on sociocultural theory, this study aimed to investigate a teacher’s scaffolding of peer-supported learning when teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) in Indonesian primary classrooms. The interactive skills of speaking and listening are in need of attention in countries such as Indonesia. To address this limitation in Indonesian EFL practice, this study sought to examine the strategies that are currently used to facilitate students’ interactive communication skills. Moreover, the scaffolded group work was implemented to improve current EFL practices and engage students in spoken interaction involving listening, speaking, and thinking skills. Grounded in collaborative, participatory research, this study was conducted over a three-month period. This thesis provides a detailed account of the design and implementation of group work in one Indonesian tutorial centre, involving one EFL teacher and 32 students from two classes. Data for the study included video-recorded classroom observations, teacher interviews, participants’ self-reflections, and audio recordings of students’ group conversations. The data were analysed using Flanders’ (1964) interaction analysis categories (FIAC) and Mercer’s (1994) typology of talk. The combination of data analyses revealed that the existing strategy used by the teacher did not provide students with sufficient opportunities to participate in classroom interaction. With the support of the school principal, the researcher and teacher collaborated to design a scaffolded group-work strategy to improve current EFL practices. The teacher introduced group work as a pedagogical change to gradually establish self-regulated learning or student agency. Analysis of the implementation of the scaffolded group work revealed new opportunities for the students to explore their language and thinking. The current study offers evidence of how peer-supported learning can contribute to EFL development and instruction. Specifically, the findings highlight evidence that peer-supported learning can facilitate students’ listening and speaking, promote the use of dialogic skills in language learning, and encourage students to be independent learners. This research contributes to both the conceptualisation and practical implementation of peer-supported learning for young learners, especially in Indonesian EFL primary classroom settings. This is the first study of its kind in Indonesia, and will therefore add important knowledge to inform professional practises of primary English teachers in this context