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Trang 1 HUE UNIVERSITYUNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES ---NGUYEN HO BAO TRAN AN INVESTIGATION INTO TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS AND PRACTICE OF SCAFFOLDING IN TEACHING

HUE UNIVERSITYUNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

-NGUYEN HO BAO TRAN

AN INVESTIGATION INTO TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS AND PRACTICE

OF SCAFFOLDING IN TEACHING EFL STUDENTS’ LISTENING COMPREHENSION AT HIGH SCHOOLS

IN THUA THIEN HUE PROVINCE

MA THESIS IN THEORY AND METHODOLOGY

OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts,

University of Foreign Languages and International Studies, Hue University

THUA THIEN HUE, 2023

HUE UNIVERSITYUNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

-NGUYEN HO BAO TRAN

AN INVESTIGATION INTO TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS AND PRACTICE

OF SCAFFOLDING IN TEACHING EFL STUDENTS’ LISTENING COMPREHENSION AT HIGH SCHOOLS

IN THUA THIEN HUE PROVINCE

MA THESIS IN THEORY AND METHODOLOGY

OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING

CODE: 8140111

SUPERVISOR: DR NGUYEN HO HOANG THUY

THUA THIEN HUE, 2023

ĐẠI HỌC HUẾ TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ

-

NGUYỄN HỒ BẢO TRÂN

NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ NHẬN THỨC VÀ THỰC TRẠNG

SỬ DỤNG HOẠT ĐỘNG HỖ TRỢ HỌC TẬP CỦA GIÁO VIÊN KHI GIẢNG DẠY KỸ NĂNG NGHE HIỂU

TIẾNG ANH TẠI CÁC TRƯỜNG THPT

Ở TỈNH THỪA THIÊN HUẾ

LUẬN VĂN THẠC SĨ LÝ LUẬN VÀ PHƯƠNG PHÁP

DẠY HỌC BỘ MÔN TIẾNG ANH

MÃ SỐ: 8140111

NGƯỜI HƯỚNG DẪN KHOA HỌC:

TS NGUYỄN HỒ HOÀNG THUỶ

THỪA THIÊN HUẾ, 2023

STATEMENT OF ORIGINAL AUTHORSHIP

The work contained in this thesis has not been previously submitted for a degree in any university I certify that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, my thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the thesis itself

Signed:

Date: … / … / 2023

ABSTRACT

This research investigated how EFL teachers at high schools in Thua Thien Hue province perceived scaffolding for improving listening comprehension and how they applied these scaffolding strategies in actual classrooms The study adopted a mixed-methods approach to explore the views and practices of EFL teachers in Thua Thien Hue high schools The study's methodology included three primary data collection methods: questionnaires, classroom observations, and interviews The research involved 48 EFL teachers from eight high schools in Thua Thien Hue province, selected through random sampling Additionally, six of these teachers allowed classroom observations and follow-up interviews The findings highlighted that EFL teachers highly valued scaffolding as it simplified the listening process, enhanced engagement, and boosted listening skills Scaffolding was seen as an effective way

to reduce students' anxiety during listening activities by breaking tasks into manageable parts

In terms of practical implementation, teachers frequently used various scaffolding strategies, such as explaining new terms, task repetition, and efficient use of wait time However, differences between self-reported practices and classroom observations suggested areas for improvement and emphasized the need for additional training to enhance the effective use of scaffolding strategies This research has important implications for EFL educators, curriculum developers, and policymakers It offers insights into effective teaching practices for improving listening skills and underscores the importance of scaffolding, especially in mixed-ability classrooms It also highlights the necessity of teacher training to address implementation challenges Overall, this study contributes to a better understanding of scaffolding strategies in teaching listening comprehension in EFL contexts, potentially leading to improved teaching methods and learning materials in the context of high schools in Vietnam

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I wish to express my deep gratitude to the individuals who have been pivotal in guiding and encouraging me throughout the process of completing this MA thesis Their support and contributions have been invaluable, and I extend my heartfelt appreciation to each of them First and foremost, I am profoundly grateful to my thesis advisor, Dr Nguyen Ho Hoang Thuy Her scholarly expertise, wise guidance, and unwavering assistance have been the cornerstones of this research journey The discussions with her and her constructive feedback have not only deepened my insights into the research but have also significantly improved my research skills Without her steadfast support, this research would not have come to fruition

I would also like to extend my sincere thanks to the teachers who generously participated in this study Their enthusiastic involvement and the insights they shared about scaffolding in teaching EFL students’ listening comprehension at high schools were invaluable in completing this research

Lastly, I am wholeheartedly grateful to my family members for their boundless love and unyielding support My students have also been a tremendous source of encouragement and strength throughout this challenging MA journey Their unwavering support, both emotionally and spiritually, has been an essential driving force during the challenging milestones of my academic pursuit

LISTS OF TABLES

Table 3.1 Summary of questionnaire participants’ background 28Table 4.1 Teachers’ perceptions of scaffolding strategies and its importance on enhancing students’ listening comprehension 35Table 4.2 Teachers’ perceptions of the benefits of implementing scaffolding strategies

in listening lessons 40Table 4.3 Teachers’ perceptions of the challenges of implementing scaffolding strategies in listening lessons 46Table 4.4 Teachers’ responses to their frequency of applying scaffolding strategies at pre-listening stage 49Table 4.5 Teachers’ responses to their frequency of applying scaffolding strategies at the while-listening stage based on teachers’ responses 54Table 4.6 Teachers’ responses to their frequency of applying scaffolding strategies at the post-listening stage 60

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 4.1 Teachers’ perception of scaffolding as the assistance by the teacher to facilitate student learning of listening through teacher-student interaction 37Figure 4.2 Teachers’ perceptions on the benefits when implementing scaffolding strategies in enhancing students’ listening skill 41Figure 4.3 Rank of scaffolding strategies used at the pre-listening stage based on teachers’ responses 50Figure 4.4 Rank of scaffolding strategies used at the while-listening stage based on teachers’ responses 55

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

EFL : English as a Foreign Language MOET : Ministry of Education and Training ZPD : Zone of Proximal Development

TABLE OF CONTENTS

STATEMENT OF ORIGINAL AUTHORSHIP i

ABSTRACT ii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii

LISTS OF TABLES iv

LIST OF FIGURES v

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS vi

TABLE OF CONTENTS vii

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Introduction 1

1.2 Rationale 1

1.3 Aims of the study 4

1.3.1 General objectives 4

1.3.2 Specific objectives 4

1.4 Research questions 4

1.5 Scope of the study 4

1.6 Significance of the study 5

1.7 Structure of the study 5

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 6

2.1 Introduction 6

2.2 Perception 6

2.2.1 Perception 6

2.2.2 Teachers’ perceptions 7

2.3 Listening comprehension 7

2.3.1 Definition 7

2.3.2 The importance of listening comprehension 9

2.3.3 The process of listening comprehension 10

2.3.4 Factors affecting students’ success in listening comprehension 11

2.3.5 Teaching listening comprehension to EFL students 12

2.4 Scaffolding 13

2.4.1 Sociocultural theory 13

2.4.2 Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) 14

2.4.3 Definition of scaffolding 15

2.4.4 Significance of scaffolding 16

2.4.5 Features of scaffolding 18

2.4.6 Scaffolding strategies 19

2.4.7 Scaffolding EFL students’ listening comprehension 20

2.5 Related studies 20

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 27

3.1 Introduction 27

3.2 Research design 27

3.3 Participants 28

3.4 Data collection 29

3.4.1 Data collection instruments 29

3.4.1.1 Questionnaire 29

3.4.1.2 Classroom observation 31

3.4.1.3 Interview 31

3.4.2 Data collection procedure 32

3.5 Data analysis 33

3.6 Summary 34

CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 35

4.1 Introduction 35

4.2 Teachers’ perceptions of scaffolding strategies in listening lessons 35

4.2.1 Teachers’ understanding of the concept of ‘scaffolding strategies’ in listening lessons 35

4.2.2 Teachers’ perceptions of the benefits of implementing scaffolding strategies in listening lessons 40

4.2.3 Teachers’ perceptions of the challenges of implementing scaffolding strategies in listening lessons 46

4.3 Teachers’ practice of implementing scaffolding strategies in English listening class 48

4.3.1 Scaffolding strategies at the pre-listening stage 48

4.3.2 Strategies at the while-listening stage 54

4.3.3 Scaffolding strategies at post-listening stage 60

4.4 Summary 64

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 65

5.1 Introduction 65

5.2 Summary of the key findings 65

5.2.1 EFL teachers’ perceptions of scaffolding listening comprehension 65

5.2.2 EFL teachers’ practice of implementing scaffolding strategies in listening classes 65

5.3 Implications 66

5.3.1 For language teachers 66

5.3.2 For educational administrators and curriculum developers 67

5.4 Limitations of the study 68

5.5 Recommendations for further studies 69

5.6 Conclusion 70

APPENDICES 71

REFERENCES 86

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Introduction

This chapter provides an overview of the research's rationale, emphasizing the significance of effective English language teaching in the context of Vietnam It underscores the essential role of listening skills in language acquisition and communication Additionally, the introduction explores the emergence of scaffolding strategies in language education, particularly in the Vietnamese setting, and identifies the research gap related to scaffolding in teaching listening skills The chapter concludes by outlining the research objectives, guiding questions, and the structure of the subsequent chapters, offering a roadmap for the comprehensive exploration of teachers' perceptions and practices in scaffolding EFL students' listening comprehension

1.2 Rationale

In today's world, English is considered the dominant international language, with more non-native speakers than native speakers (Galloway & Rosc, 2015; Mohammed, 2020) English is used by a quarter of the world's population, and this number is expected to increase

to two billion by 2020 (British Council, 2013) Therefore, teaching English as a foreign or second language becomes essential to help the new generation adapt to the rapid changes and challenges of this era However, in the context of Vietnam, English is not the primary language of daily communication Students in Vietnam have limited opportunities to engage

in interactions in English in their everyday lives This lack of exposure and practice in life English language use outside of the classroom can impact their language acquisition and proficiency Therefore, it becomes imperative that English should be effectively taught in the classroom In other words, the quality of English language teaching needs to be focused and more attention should be given to different language skills to achieve the purpose of teaching English, especially the goal of teaching English, to develop students' communication skills Communication is a two-way process, a message cannot be communicated without someone receiving it (Prabavathi & Nagasubramani, 2018), which makes teaching and learning EFL listening skills gain utmost importance Research has shown that listening comprehension plays a vital role in EFL learning (Ling & Xu, 2018; Vandergrift & Tafaghodtari, 2010), and it is crucial for learners to develop this skill in order to communicate effectively in English Effective listening skills help learners not only in their academic

real-pursuits but also in their personal and professional lives (Rost, 2011) Therefore, EFL listening instruction should be given significant attention in foreign language education, as it has a significant impact on learners' language learning outcomes (Goh & Taib, 2006) In addition, listening is also the first step in the process of acquiring a new foreign language (Vandergrift, 1999; Xu, 2011) However, listening and understanding English as a foreign language is one of the difficult skills It is a complex skill involving a large number of smaller skills such as distinguishing English sounds, recognizing stress, meaning intonation, grammatical structure, etc (Walker, 2014) Therefore, listening skills seem difficult to develop

on their own, but need to be built gradually through guidance

In the context of teaching and learning English at high school in Vietnam, being aware

of the importance of English communication for the future generation of students, the Ministry of Education and Training has just introduced a new educational program 2018, with the communicative orientation A unit in the textbook consists of an introductory lesson, a lesson on language knowledge units (vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation), then students apply them in skill lessons Listening is the third skill, after reading and speaking skill, rather than the first, as the order of natural language acquisition The rest of the listening activities are allocated at the introduction, or as a basis for the development of other language skills, usually speaking, in the form of listening and repetition

From personal as well as other researchers’ observations, although it seems to have begun to take up more space in textbooks, teaching listening is often overlooked in schools (Tran & Duong, 2020) There are many reasons why listening is one of the most neglected skills in language teaching and learning despite its importance The first reason is about the traditional method of teaching listening, which still exists in today's textbooks, students simply listen to conversations to answer questions This way of teaching does not really help students form important skills According to some other researchers, this is because most teachers are uncertain about the best way to teach listening skills (Hwaider, 2017) Another reason is that teachers and students in Vietnam are still exam-oriented, when listening is not tested in the final high school graduation exam, it does not receive the corresponding attention

it deserves

The above short description of listening skills as well as the current situation of teaching English listening skills in Vietnam shows that the techniques for teaching English listening in the classroom need more research One such approach is that students are supported by their teachers by scaffolding Scaffolding is defined as an intervention by the teacher during the learning process when the learner is faced with a task that cannot be completed without help

or guidance (Mercer & Howe, 2012) Scaffolding is a dialogic process where a speaker helps another person perform a complex task (Ellis, 2003) In addition, scaffolding is also used as

an instructional setting, so it improves the level of learning and guides learners to complete a task (Wolf et al., 2016) In an academic context, scaffolding generally refers to many different types of instruction, assisting students in performing their own tasks In addition, scaffolding can help students achieve a degree of independence in the learning process (Hyland, 2009) Scaffolding strategies can be used before, during, and after listening activities to enhance learners' comprehension and build their listening skills Pre-listening tasks, such as brainstorming or activating background knowledge, help learners to develop a context for listening and to focus on relevant information Prediction activities, such as predicting content, purpose, and speakers, help learners to anticipate what they are going to hear, which can increase their engagement with the listening material Post-listening tasks, such as summarizing or retelling, help learners to consolidate their understanding of the listening material and to reinforce their learning (Vandergrift & Goh, 2012) Therefore, scaffolding is important in teaching listening because it helps students perform tasks successfully Using this support, students can learn how to learn and guide themselves autonomous and self-directed (Vygotsky, 1978) Interaction and impact on the development of listening skills are central to scaffolding and teachers are seen as responsible for guiding learners to gain understanding and assisting them in promoting comprehension and interpretation of the tasks (Walsh, 2006)

Listening holds pivotal significance in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) education, especially since the 2018 General Education Curriculum introduced a comprehensive approach encompassing listening, speaking, reading, writing, vocabulary, grammar, and phonetics This focus on listening skills in high school English education aligns with its role

in establishing mental associations and meanings, laying the foundation for language usage (Lakhneche, 2017) Scaffolding strategies, known for their efficacy in fostering language skills (Gibbons, 2015), have received considerable attention in language education research

across speaking, writing, reading, and listening However, in the Vietnamese context, the adoption of scaffolding in teaching methodologies has only recently emerged, with limited research, particularly in the field of listening (Dinh, 2016; Le & Tran, 2021; Hong & Nguyen, 2019; Nguyen, 2013) Notably, existing studies primarily focus on scaffolding speaking, reading, and writing, leaving a gap in the exploration of scaffolding listening.Therefore, this study will aim at (1) determining the perception of teachers about the scaffolding strategy in teaching English listening skills in the classroom, (2) identifying the practice how teachers scaffold students’ English listening comprehension in the classroom, and (3) finding out if there are any difficulties for teachers when implementing this strategy in class, from which the author has corresponding recommendations

1.3 Aims of the study

1.3.1 General objectives

To investigate EFL teachers’ perceptions and practice regarding the use of scaffolding

in teaching and learning listening skill in the classroom, and to provide suggestions for teachers to enhance the application of this strategy in the future

1.5 Scope of the study

To investigate the perceptions and practices of English high school teachers regarding the implementation of scaffolding strategies to enhance students' listening comprehension, this study was conducted in Thua Thien Hue province It involved 48 out of 302 English high school

teachers from 8 (out of 37) high schools in Thua Thien Hue province, accounting for approximately 15.89% of the total population These selected schools encompassed a variety of locations, including city center and remote areas, and featured different admission scores ranks

1.6 Significance of the study

The significance of this study lies in its investigation into the perceptions and practices

of EFL teachers regarding the use of scaffolding strategies in teaching listening skills in the high schools of Thua Thien Hue province By exploring the teachers' understanding and implementation of scaffolding strategies, the study contributes to the development of effective teaching practices that can enhance EFL students' listening comprehension The findings of the study can provide valuable insights into EFL teachers and curriculum planners in Vietnam and beyond, enabling them to develop more effective teaching strategies and materials that promote EFL students' listening skills Additionally, the study's focus on a specific geographic region and level of education provides a unique context for understanding the challenges and opportunities of implementing scaffolding strategies in EFL classrooms Overall, this study has the potential to inform and improve EFL teaching practices and student learning outcomes in Vietnam and beyond

1.7 Structure of the study

Chapter 1: Introduction — provided a brief overview about the background of the research and stated why it was conducted The scope, significance and structure of the study,

as well as the researches questions, were all mentioned

Chapter 2: Literature review — defined major concepts related to scaffolding listening comprehension, established a theoretical framework for the study, and reviewed previous studies of the same field

Chapter 3: Methodology — described and justified methods adopted in data collection and data analysis to address the research questions

Chapter 4: Findings and discussion — analyzed the data from questionnaire, classroom observation and interviews in relation to the research questions The discussion of the findings was also presented

Chapter 5: Conclusion – contained a quick summary of the important results, practical implications, study limitations, and future research suggestions.

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction

The second chapter delves into critical concepts that form the foundation for this study, providing an in-depth exploration of perception, teachers' perceptions, listening comprehension, scaffolding Then, this chapter reviews existing literature on scaffolding in language education, emphasizing its applications in speaking, reading, and writing, identifies

a research gap in the limited exploration of scaffolding in teaching listening skills, and frames the study's specific research questions within the broader context of high school language education This comprehensive review sets the stage for the subsequent chapters, providing a robust theoretical and conceptual framework for the study

2.2 Perception

2.2.1 Perception

"Perception" is defined by the Cambridge Dictionary as "an individual's ability to notice and understand things that are not obvious to others, thereby forming beliefs or opinions about how things appear." Examining Longman Dictionaries' definition reveals how an individual's cognitive processes, perspectives, sensory observations (e.g., hearing, sight), and ability to swiftly understand or perceive things contribute to their overall comprehension In general, we can draw some common points from the literal definitions of the term is (1) how a person's ability to identify and understand information or the world around us through the use

of senses, (2) the ability to understand the nature and characteristics of things and events from which to form and hold a belief, ideas, pictures about them

Perception, in psychology, is the process through which we translate sensory information from our surroundings into something meaningful (Friston, Kilner, & Harrison, 2006) Vernon, Lowe, Thill, and Ziemke (2015) believed that perception and action had a close and reciprocal relationship Action is unguided if there is no perception; conversely, perception serves no purpose if there is no action A minor conclusion may be formed that perception has a significant influence on an individual's behaviors (Friston, 2006) Perception refers to the process of collecting information through the senses, processing and connecting that information with experience, and acting on that information

2.2.2 Teachers’ perceptions

In the realm of education, "teachers' perceptions" is a significant notion Beijaard, Verloop, and Vermunt (2000) described it as "the thoughts, mental images that teachers have about something formed from background knowledge and life experiences."

Teachers' views are also how they see their behaviors, which prompts them to reflect on how they might improve their teaching practice (Buehl & Beck, 2015) The impact of instructors' perspectives in changes of foreign language teaching and learning is becoming more widely recognized When it comes to thinking, choosing, and delivering knowledge to students, teachers' perspectives play a significant part in the teaching process

In the context of this study, "teachers' perceptions" refers to instructors' perspectives regarding their objectives and how they interpret and translate these objectives into practical actions during the teaching process

2.3 Listening comprehension

2.3.1 Definition

Every day, we hear things in many ways Nobody can deny the significance of listening skills in second language learning (Yildirim & Yildirim, 2016) Learning English, like learning other languages, entails frequent and purposeful practice of the four communication skills, namely listening, speaking, reading, and writing Furthermore, according to Byrnes (1984), 45% of the time spent in communication is spent listening, 35% speaking, 16% reading, and 9% writing Because listening is such an important and fundamental language ability, it piques the attention, enthusiasm, and research efforts of many experts, particularly language instructors

Boglárka (2021) defined listening as more than just hearing words Listening is an active process in which listeners receive signals, generate meaning, and respond to them Hearing something does not imply listening to it There are several tiny phases between these two processes The tiniest sound units can be distinguished by humans The engaged listener must then interpret what they hear As opposed to hearing, which is only a physical capacity, listening is a more complicated, active, and engaged process in which listeners must correlate what they hear with what they really know

Brownell (1994), as cited in Tyagi (2013), provided a more specific definition of listening competence, stating that it is a collection of abilities linked with the listener's perception and is not passive When hearing comprehension is a problem-solving and psychological activity of great complexity, Byrnes (1984) shared a similar understanding, that

is, in order to understand spoken communications, listeners may need to combine information from a range of sources, including phonetic, phonological, prosodic, lexical, syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic information

Listening, according to Ahmadi (2016), is the process of hearing, building meaning from, and responding to spoken words or nonverbal aspects Listening is a cognitive and moral ability in which competent listeners must pay close attention in order to grasp the message and its consequences, as well as engage and respond appropriately to the speaker Furthermore, according to Rost (2013), listening is an active activity of receiving, interpreting, remembering, assessing, and reacting to the communication process

As defined by Rost (2013), listening comprehension is a cognitive process that involves representing and forming meaning from what the speaker says He believes that semantic formulation must be combined with contextual elements Furthermore, listening comprehension entails negotiating meaning and reaction As a result, listening comprehension is a key aspect of communication skills, and context is vital in determining the speaker's purpose

Listening comprehension was characterized more simply by Gilakjani and Sabouri (2016) as several ways of comprehending spoken language This process, they claimed, was based on the listener's perception of speech sounds, comprehension of the meaning of individual words, and sentence grammar

By bringing together all of the qualities of listening comprehension in the preceding definitions, listening comprehension is defined for the purposes of this study as a process that needs the listener to (1) receive and grasp what the speaker is saying, (2) correlate meaning with the speaker and the speaking situation, and (3) respond and provide feedback meaning Linguistic understanding, personal expectations, cognitive processing abilities, and broad world knowledge are required for listening comprehension

2.3.2 The importance of listening comprehension

With the tendency in language instruction toward the development of communicative competence, there is growing awareness of the importance of listening skills Listening comprehension has been shown via extensive research to have an incredibly significant part in human communication and language learning or second language acquisition

In general, listening is critical for everyday human communication According to Byrne (1984), "communication is a two-way process: a message cannot be communicated if no one accepts it" Listening is a receptive process in spoken communication It is the foundation for developing relationships and communicating effectively Listening is considered the queen of communication skills by Djabborova (2020) and Wiwoho (2022) because the better listeners grasp what they hear, the better they say

Listening, in addition to its general relevance in communication, is also important in the process of absorbing or acquiring language (Cheung, 2010; Gilakjani, 2016) Many scholars have sought to investigate the critical function of listening abilities in language acquisition and development

Listening is viewed as the natural channel via which language is learnt (Yavuz & Celik, 2017) Children learn to mimic and generate the noises they hear from others around them through listening When the time comes, they establish their mother tongue and are able to speak with others, whereas deaf children do not (Lakhneche, 2017; Yavuz, 2017)

Furthermore, learning a language is considered as more than just learning to speak; it is also about creating a mental map of associations of meanings and consequences (Cheung, 2010; Lakhneche, 2017) It gives learners information on which to construct the knowledge required for language usage After acquiring this information, the student can begin to talk If the student does not hear and comprehend correctly, he will be unable to respond effectively Listening is the cornerstone for all other language abilities (Yavuz, 2017) As a result, classroom listening offers linguistic input for students Any language acquisition process cannot begin until the learner understands the input at the appropriate level

Languages may be learned by listening Listening, according to Khanna (2020), Mondal

& Chellamani (2022), and Yavuz (2017), is the basis for learning and all other areas of cognitive and linguistic development, and it plays an enduring role in learning and communication

Listening is clearly essential for communication or social engagement, language learning, or the development of other language abilities This extraordinary significance has motivated many academics, including the current researcher, to delve deeper into features of hearing and listening education in general, or scaffolding and listening comprehension in particular

2.3.3 The process of listening comprehension

Listening comprehension is a mental activity that is unseen, making it difficult to express According to Wolvin and Coakley (1994), the listening process consists of three steps "receiving, understanding, judging, and responding." According to Goh (2000), listeners must discriminate between sounds, recognize vocabulary and grammatical structures, interpret stress and intonation, and recall and interpret them with the socio-cultural context of the speech When considering the system of language comprehension in general, it is clear that there are many different forms of knowledge involved, including linguistic and non-linguistic information Many sorts of linguistic information can be incorporated, but the most essential are phonology, lexis, syntax, semantics, and discourse structure Knowledge of the subject, knowledge of context, and general understanding of the world and how it operates are non-linguistic aspects employed in comprehension

According to Anderson (2016), the listening comprehension process is divided into three stages, which are perceptual, parsing, and usage Listeners focus their attention on the oral text and store the sound in echoic memory throughout the perceptual phase Listeners generate meaningful mental representations from words and messages in the next stage, the parsing process They arrange information into meaningful components and retain it in their short-term memory During the use phase, the listener employs long-term memory to correlate the received messages with previously acquired knowledge According to the study, actual comprehension happens when fresh input and previous knowledge collide

According to Goh (2010), there are five phases of listening comprehension First and foremost, the listener is driven to listen Second, listeners pick up on both verbal and nonverbal cues from the speaker, such as facial expressions, gestures, voices, and movements The received message is then stored in the short-term memory system Simultaneously, listeners are impacted by their prior information and experiences The listener then correlates the received message with the previously stored information

In contrast to the previous scholars, Nunan (2002) explains listening comprehension through two processes, bottom-up and top-down Bottom-up processing entails absorbing a message's meaning by depending on linguistic input from sounds, vocabulary, grammatical connections, and, lastly, semantics or meaning The top-down method, on the other hand, refers to the utilization of a system known as the learner's background knowledge and awareness of the world around him to deduce meaning from the message Furthermore, listening comprehension is not a top-down or bottom-up process It is a participatory and interpretative process in which listeners understand information using both intrinsic social and language knowledge (Nunan, 2002) Thus, Nunan's (2002) interpretation addresses all components of the listening process, including the integration of personal knowledge with linguistic information, providing a comprehensive understanding of the listening process The explanations of listening comprehension provided above illustrate what happens while someone is listening Hearing and understanding speech involves a number of fundamental processes, some of which are dependent on linguistic competence, others on prior knowledge, which is not always purely linguistic, but is dependent on psychological variables that influence the variation of competence and knowledge demonstrated in specific tasks

2.3.4 Factors affecting students’ success in listening comprehension

Several studies have highlighted the importance of listening comprehension in the classroom in recent years However, teaching and improving listening comprehension abilities are also difficult tasks Many issues might cause challenges in teaching listening comprehension to teachers and students Some of the factors mentioned by Ur (1984) in his book "Teaching Listening Comprehension" include difficulties in hearing sounds, understanding intonation and stress, managing concentration with noises, anticipating, understanding vocabulary, and understanding different accents without visual or environmental cues Many students find listening to a recorded message more challenging than reading a similar message on paper since the audio tape hits the ear in the blink of an eye, but the textual material may be read The reader can read at their own pace Listening resources can also take nearly any shape, such as announcements, messages, TV or radio bulletins, public meetings or lectures and many of these are scenarios that students are unfamiliar with

According to Nowrouzi, Tam, Zareian, and Nimehchisalem (2015), some of the problems of hearing in a foreign language for students are (1) a lack of vocabulary and new conceptual knowledge, a lack of context knowledge, the ability to distinguish development rules, etc., a lack of contextual knowledge, the ability to distinguish pronunciation rules, a lack of necessary listening skills and background cultural knowledge, a lack of necessary listening skills and background cultural knowledge, (2) Concentration and speed speaking - It

is frequently difficult for pupils to focus on listening to a foreign language for an extended amount of time Furthermore, no matter how entertaining things were previously, kids might get tired of listening As a result, pupils must exert considerable effort to comprehend the meaning (3) the immediate surroundings, (4) the teacher's teaching technique - might be viewed as a direct factor influencing the learning process Positive or bad student listening comprehension exists As a result, teachers must employ proper approaches and tactics in order to make classes more difficult, successful, and engaging for pupils It is critical to use strategies that pique their attention and push them with something new

2.3.5 Teaching listening comprehension to EFL students

According to Vandergrift and Goh (2009), it is preferable for listeners if they "know about the context of a text or an utterance" since they may then activate past knowledge and practice establishing the relevant associations As a result, the teacher's role is critical since they are the ones who plan the activities and stimulate the students' thinking, direct them to hypothesize, prepare them for what they are going to hear, and assist them when they are having problems Many experts studying successful listening lessons believe that it is simpler for teachers to teach this ability to students in three stages: before listening, during learning, and post learning (Underwood, 1989; Ur, 1984; Vandergrift et al., 2009)

Pre-listening

Activities in the pre-listening stage, according to Vandergrift (2009), assist students have a broad notion or perspective of "what to hear and focus attention on the meaning of listening." Underwood (1989) re-systematized pre-listening work, which might involve the instructor presenting background information, students reading something related to the listening text, students examining visuals, talking, and preparing for the activity while listening

Post-listening

Underwood (1989) defines post-listening activities as actions taken after listening has been completed These exercises are designed to ensure that students have comprehended what is expected of them and have successfully completed all while-listening tasks Another goal of post-listening exercises is for students to reflect on why they did not grasp or missed part of the content Third, these exercises allow students to analyze people's attitudes and manners in general Finally, this step seeks to extend or apply the subjects or linguistic expertise from the hearing text in another setting

2.4 Scaffolding

2.4.1 Sociocultural theory

Vygotsky (1978) emphasized that all forms of knowledge are, by nature, social, and learning happens via social contact, and association of persons leads to understanding It is stated that sociocultural theory stresses the relevance of social contact in individual learning (Howe & Mercer, 2007)

Furthermore, individual and societal development influence human cognitive growth (Behroozizad, Nambiar, & Amir, 2014; Howe, 2007; Vygotsky, 1978) Individuals involved

in social activities have higher mental functions, according to Khan and Qadir (2018), as a result of social cognition derived from sociocultural theory

Language acquisition, according to Lantolf, Poehner, and Thorne (2020), is not a solitary process but is more successful when it occurs in a social setting, involving interactions between learners and teachers throughout the learning process According to sociocultural theory, language learners are active architects of their own learning (Pathan et al., 2018)

Mediation is seen as an important term in sociocultural theory (Lantolf, 2020; Walqui, 2006) The process through which humans employ culturally formed artifacts, concepts, and behaviors to regulate the material environment or their own and each other's social and mental activities is characterized as mediation

Language is taught at two levels, according to this theoretical framework, interacting with and integrating to persons at the mental structure (Vygotsky, 1987) Panadero, Jonsson, and Strijbos (2016) underlined the importance of culturally mediated contacts and engagement in the cultural environment In other words, Vygotsky believed that the impact of cultural or historical background was undeniable

2.4.2 Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)

Many academics identify scaffolding with the idea of ZPD, which is also the most closely tied to Vygotsky's attempt to clarify scaffolding's theoretical basis

ZPD is defined as the difference between the genuine level of development as measured

by autonomous issue solving and the potential level of development as determined by problem solving under adult supervision or in collaboration with more capable, specialized companions (Newman & Latifi, 2021) As a result of the aforementioned definition of ZPD, it

is apparent that learners are separated into two zones, the first zone relates to Actual Development, and the second zone refers to Proximal Development (Margolis, 2020)

The can-do zone is the actual development zone At this level, relatives may perform activities and solve learning challenges on their own In other words, the real growth zone includes all of the tasks that a pupil can complete without the assistance of a teacher Shabani, Khatib, and Ebadi (2010), as well as Margolis (2020), concurred that at this time, the student

is not asking for assistance, and the fact is that if the instructor offers an excessive amount of assistance or repeats things the learner is already familiar with, it may be dull Boredom in the teaching and learning process leads to a decline in student motivation

The ZPD level, on the other hand, is the prospective level at which the learner is unable

to work alone and requires supervision or help from teachers or more educated acquaintances

in order to develop both ability and comprehension (Margolis, 2020) Furthermore, ZPD encourages pupils to build new understandings against the backdrop of previously learned material with the assistance of a teacher or a buddy (Newman, 2021) To add to this,

must first engage with his environment He also advised that social contact be used to help learners progress For example, in the classroom, students' interactions with their teachers assist them build new understandings and enhance cognitive functioning

Furthermore, Vygotsky (1986) contended that learning may occur successfully in the ZPD and that courses and instruction should be done there As a result, it is critical to understand the learners' ZPD since learning does not occur successfully if the instructor taught in a ZPD that is not appropriate for the learners Outside of the ZPD, learning may be too tough or too easy for an individual For example, if students already comprehend or are familiar with specific vocabulary terms, rather than asking them to review those words, it is preferable to use those words to teach phrasal words or new vocabulary than On the other hand, if students attend the classroom with no prior understanding of the lesson's topic, learning becomes meaningless and unattainable for them For example, expecting learners to execute a listening activity when they lack the necessary vocabulary and do not know how to pronounce the word in order to detect it in the audio is a significant obstacle and nearly impossible

As a result, teachers should analyze and evaluate students' ZPD on a frequent basis to ensure an effective learning process for them (Margolis, 2020) In other words, at the heart of Vygotsky's notion of ZPD is advocating for students' active interest in learning and assisting them in becoming more self-directed According to the social perspective of teaching and learning, learning should occur via interaction or cooperation between instructors and students (Newman, 2021) Students are seen as active learners, engaged in the process of learning Furthermore, according to Vygotsky, knowledge is co-constructed under the supervision or participation of more learned partners, rather than separately

2.4.3 Definition of scaffolding

Understanding a student's ZPD enables instructors to select the type, level, and mode of support for kids In this study, the term "scaffolding" refers to the assistance that teachers offer to pupils

Wood, Bruner, and Ross (1976), who performed research on parent-child communication, were the first to propose scaffolding in the educational environment Adults guide portions of a job that are beyond the learner's capacity, allowing them to focus on and complete what is within their capacities and gradually return to work, should be more self-

sufficient Similarly, the process of teaching might be likened to the process of construction The term scaffolding is used in this context to indicate the assistance supplied to the student when he or she attempts to master a new skill

This is based on Vygotsky's (1978) sociocultural theory of learning, which entails temporary assistance from a more learned partner or a more capable individual, allowing pupils to perform activities that are above their ability Muntasir and Akbar (2023) quoted Olson and Pratt (2000) and underlined in their research that scaffolding should expand what pupils are now able to perform independently, with the participation of competent peers or teachers being vital A competent friend or instructor can guide a beginner's acquisition of a new idea or ability that they may not be able to perform on their own, supplying them with background information (Malik, 2017)

Scaffolding, for example, is critical for the learning of language skills because students require assistance in getting and interpreting meaning, implications in specific settings, and assistance in acquiring new grammatical forms to use in practical skills (Kayi-Aydar, 2013)

It is also proposed that once students have completed an assigned work, scaffolding would be reduced or deleted gradually so that students can become more autonomous This assistance appears to bridge the gap between what pupils are unable to manage and what they can do on their own when presented with a problem in the learning process, hence encouraging self-study (Puntambekar, 2022)

In the context of this study, scaffolding is operationally defined as the instructional support provided by teachers to guide students in completing learning activities and reaching higher levels of comprehension This pedagogical approach also allows students to take responsibility for their English language learning, fostering the development of their own knowledge and autonomy in the process

2.4.4 Significance of scaffolding

Scaffolding is well known to have a crucial role in the learning process in general, and

in developing new abilities in particular Because scaffolding is multifaceted, it has consequences in many areas, including psychology, cognition, and pedagogy in general, and ELT in particular

From a psychological standpoint, when scaffolding approaches are used correctly, they give tailored help depending on the learner's ZPD When learners believe they can perform a job without effort or frustration, scaffolding increases their self confidence According to Van Der Stuyf (2002), "scaffolding is valuable because it helps the learner master some task, strategy, or skill by doing it with easier materials, and then moving on to mastery with the content at hand to a higher level with real confidence and understanding." This teacher's temporary and adaptable support enables students to undertake activities that might appear unattainable without scaffolded help Furthermore, scaffolding develops a teacher-student relationship, and teachers provide an engaging and comfortable learning environment to encourage learners to master new abilities

Scaffolding is a fantastic strategy for students to develop critical thinking and solving abilities because teachers support students in problem solving, executing activities, or accomplishing a goal that is beyond their self-reliance ( Pea, 2004) Deliany and Cahyono (2020) characterized problem-solving as a high-level cognitive process that involves regulation and control of fundamental skills to attain (Nasseri & Sarkhosh, 2019) Critical thinking is the process of actively and skillfully observing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating knowledge received from observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, and communication All of this cognitive process necessitates not just extensive scaffolding, but also intervention and help from the instructor at various stages with the learner's learning The ultimate goal of scaffolding is to make the learning process easier Kayi-Aydar (2013) explained scaffolding as "knowing when and how to interfere with the learning process is what scaffolding is all about." This refers to teachers actively and informedly directing students' learning when they are introduced to new concepts or ideas (Talebinejad & Akhgar, 2015) He went on to say that scaffolding involves more than just supporting kids in finishing a job It also necessitates teachers acting continually, employing a range of tactics,

problem-so that learners develop the knowledge, comprehension, and confidence to work independently in the process of applying the lessons learnt fresh learning In other words, it was the fact that they were able to complete the following duties without assistance This necessitates teachers exercising caution in monitoring student learning, offering help when needed, and withdrawing at the proper moment, as agreed upon by Kayi-Aydar (2013)

2.4.5 Features of scaffolding

Scaffolding is classified into three types from an educational standpoint including supporting (or contingent), collaborative, and interactive structures (Walqui, 2006)

Van Lier’s (2004) conceptualization of scaffolding encompasses six key features First,

it emphasizes the aspect of continuity, where each step or question links to next, forming a sequence that repeats over time Scaffolding also operates within a context of contextual support, where learners find themselves in a safe and nurturing environment conductive to their growth Moreover, the concept underscores the importance of intersubjectivity, highlighting the mutual engagement and collaborative support between teachers and students Furthermore, it incorporates the notion of contingency, which allows for the adaption of scaffolding strategies based on the reactions and needs of the learners As students gain confidence and competence, the process involves a gradual handover / takeover of responsibilities, signifying a shift from teacher-led to student-driven learning Finally, the concept of ‘flow’ permeates scaffolding, reflecting a harmonious equilibrium between skills and strategies, with participants working collaboratively and efficiently when undertaking specific tasks These attributes collectively define the intricate nature of scaffolding in language learning and underscore its significance in educational settings

To properly employ scaffolding, teachers must pay attention to a variety of elements They must guarantee clarity in their instructions to avoid misunderstandings, as well as the supply of a clear purpose for each scaffolding step, the teacher's expectations for each activity, feedback for learner performance, assessment, and a suitable amount of challenge in the activities After receiving the scaffolding process, learners must also be coached or modeled on how to self-assess their ability, performance, or determine whether they have reached the instructional goals Furthermore, providing feedback enhances learners' understanding and awareness, making it simpler for them to notice their errors on subsequent assignments (Smagorinsky, 2018)

The scaffolding process provided by an informed peer or instructor appears to be temporary The primary goal of scaffolding, according to Amerian and Mehri (2014), is to guide the learner's evolution into an autonomous problem solver Scaffolding, in addition to immediately assisting in the completion of a task, teaches learners how to complete it independently and how to apply what they learn in other contexts As a result, assistance is only required until the student is competent to operate alone Support should be lowered or withdrawn as soon as this occurs

2.4.6 Scaffolding strategies

Based on the qualities listed above, many scholars use various practical techniques to understand how to execute instructional scaffolding by adopting various scaffolding strategies

Modeling, explanations, inviting learner engagement, confirming and clarifying learners' comprehension, and asking learners to provide clues are some of the scaffolding strategies mentioned by Hogan and Pressley (1997), as described in Talebinejad (2015) According to Hill and Hannafin (2001), teachers can utilize a variety of scaffolds including conceptual, metacognitive, procedural, and strategic scaffolds

• When the work was adequately defined, conceptual scaffolding was supplied, and scaffolding approaches are now employed to advise learners on what to consider Cueing/hinting, coaching remarks for motivating goals, offering feedback, and providing models are all examples of conceptual scaffolding strategies (Cagiltay, 2006)

• Metacognitive scaffolding instructs users on how to think and how to connect new information to past knowledge

• Procedural scaffolding emphasizes, explains, and assists the learner as the activity is being performed until the work is accomplished

• The fundamental aspect of strategic scaffolding is response-sensitive education

Scaffolding strategies, according to Mahan (2020), operate from a macro level (e.g task sequencing and selection, expanding students' existing knowledge, cooperative learning, setting explicit learning goals and sharing them with students, controlling students' frustration) to a micro level (e.g modeling and demonstration, explanation and instruction, visual aids, repetition of key points, focusing students' attention and checking their understanding, allowing learners a chance to practice)

Walqui (2006) also provided six scaffolding techniques - modeling (for example, learners are given an example to mimic); bridging (for example, learners' experiences and background knowledge are engaged for the goal of learning); contextualizing (e.g., the subject matter is presented in a rich context through the use of various forms of realia, such as photographs, posters, and short videos); schema building (e.g., a link is established between new information and learners' schema to organize their understanding and knowledge);

representational text (for example, their linguistic expertise in one genre is turned into linguistic characteristics in another genre); and meta developing cognition (for example, tools

to assist learners regulate their thinking are provided)

Depending on the content being taught, these strategies can be combined or utilized singly In using these strategies, the teacher's purpose is to provide just enough support to guide the student toward independence and self-regulation

2.4.7 Scaffolding EFL students’ listening comprehension

Scaffolding listening comprehension strategies can be divided into three stages: pre-, while-, and post-listening In the pre-listening stage, teachers can provide learners with activities that activate their prior knowledge, such as brainstorming or predicting the topic of the listening text (Chiang & Dunkel, 1992) Additionally, teachers can provide learners with background knowledge on the topic or genre of the listening text, which can help them better understand the content (Vandergrift, Goh, Mareschal, & Tafaghodtari, 2006) In the while-listening stage, teachers can provide learners with supports such as strategic listening, where learners focus on listening for specific information or identifying the speaker's purpose (Murphy & Evangelou, 2017) Another technique is to teach learners how to use contextual clues, such as intonation or facial expressions, to infer meaning (Vandergrift, 2004) In the post-listening stage, teachers can provide learners with opportunities to reflect on their listening experience, such as by asking comprehension questions or engaging in post-listening discussions (Vandergrift & Tafaghodtari, 2010) Additionally, learners can be encouraged to evaluate their own listening strategies and set goals for future listening practice (Vandergrift

& Goh, 2012) In summary, scaffolding listening comprehension strategies at the pre-, while-, and post-listening stages can help learners develop their listening skills and become more strategic listeners This way of division was also used by the author in this study for scaffolding listening comprehension methods to develop the questionnaire structure and assist with analysis

2.5 Related studies

It is becoming more important in the field of research on English language teaching methods to identify more effective methods of teaching language skills to pupils A range of studies, influenced by Vygotsky's (1978) theory of cognitive development, focus on teachers' use of scaffolding in teaching language skills, particularly language skills

Researchers on scaffolding and English language instruction were mostly interested in specific features such as effectiveness, students' and instructors' opinions of its significance, and how teachers use scaffolding into their classes Muntasir and Akbar (2023) conducted a critical evaluation concentrating on testing ZPD theory and scaffolding via a significant number of journal papers Through this investigation, they discovered practical methods to apply this theory to English instruction and drew implications for educators They argued that instructors must recognize that students are distinct persons with unique needs, traits, talents, and capacities in order to choose "what to help and how to aid." Hayati, Sutopo, and Faridi (2019) undertook a case study to better understand the use of scaffolding approaches in secondary schools According to Dewerianka's (2001) scaffolding model, the strategies of six instructors at six high schools analyzed involve four stages: "building the field, modeling, joint construction, and independent construction." They also confirmed the significance of teachers' instructional scaffolding to students' competence as evidenced by their skill performance More significantly, the authors highlighted a number of obstacles that instructors had when adopting these strategies in the classroom, including disparities in the characteristics and skills of students in the same class, as well as restricted class time and facilities Awadelkarim (2021) randomly selected 30 instructors from a university and utilized questionnaires and interview research tools to assess teachers' attitudes and opinions on the use of scaffolding He discovered that teachers were upbeat and confident in their scaffolding abilities However, he noticed a gap when teachers appeared to lack expertise and experience with scaffolding when he employed focus group talks and extensive analysis As a result, there are some differences in teachers' assessments of scaffolding strategies that must be explained Furthermore, little attention has been paid to how perception influences teachers' actual instruction Purja (2017) was also curious about teacher perspectives and behaviors regarding scaffolding tools in the ELT classroom He used a questionnaire and an observation checklist to collect data demonstrating teachers' positive attitudes toward these tools, and he highlighted scaffolding techniques commonly used by teachers in ELT classes: motivating their students, involving them in interaction, providing feedback, translating target language terms, providing hints, asking questions, and explaining text to their students

Several studies have investigated the effectiveness of scaffolding in improving students' listening skills Karimi et al (2020) found that scaffolding instruction with graphic organizers improved listening comprehension and vocabulary acquisition in Iranian

intermediate students Talebinejad and Akhgar (2015) also found positive effects of scaffolding on the listening achievement of higher education college students Similarly, Yazdanpanah and Khanmohammad (2014) found that scaffolding techniques had a positive impact on the listening comprehension of intermediate students In addition, Taghizadeh and Saadatjoo (2021) studied the use of scaffolding strategies in listening instruction using student feedback, and found that students recognized the importance of scaffolding strategies for improving their listening abilities However, further research is needed to explore teachers' perceptions and effective implementation of scaffolding strategies in the classroom

Scaffolding has received much attention from academics as a strategy to support students' speaking skills development Alwahibee (2019) conducted a 7-week experimental study with 50 Al-Imam Mohammed Bin Saud Islamic University students, finding that the experimental group outperformed the control group in several areas using scaffolding techniques This conclusion is consistent with the findings of Rahmah (2016) and Sarmiento-Campos et al (2022), who also found positive effects of scaffolding on students' speaking skills Wijetunge (2016) synthesized and analyzed relevant research to demonstrate the advantages of scaffolding in helping students feel more confident and motivated when developing speaking abilities Chauhan (2023) emphasized the importance of teachers using scaffolding techniques to help students improve their communication skills and suggested a variety of scaffolding techniques for developing students' speaking skills Goh (2017) integrated and evaluated research on specialized scaffolding strategies for teaching speaking skills, including task repetition, pre-task preparation, and communication tactics Kurniawan (2023) investigated the use of scaffolding strategies by instructors in teaching IELTS speaking skills at a center in India and found that teachers employed a range

of tactics, including sharing strategies, lesson preparation, simulation examinations, model responses, and engaging students in relevant topics However, the study also highlighted the challenges that teachers face when planning classes that use scaffolding in the classroom In short, these studies demonstrate the effectiveness of scaffolding in supporting students' speaking skills development, but also highlight the need for effective implementation and teacher training in using scaffolding strategies in the classroom

Scaffolding exercises are important for developing reading skills, but instructors’ implementation of these exercises is crucial Salem (2017) found that non-native English language teachers at an Egyptian university primarily used scaffolding to test students’

reading comprehension rather than scaffold their understanding However, studies by Lestari (2016), Abdul-Majeed (2015), Herawati, Gani, & Muslim (2020), and Yulianingsih, Amin, & Hamid (2021) found that scaffolding reading improves students’ reading comprehension in literal and critical reading Taguchi, Gorsuch, Lem, & Rosszell (2016) found that repetition and auditory models improve reading fluency, while task prompts and feedback assist students’ self-regulation Ling (2018) found that meaningful gamification can be effective in pushing students to read background information and learn important ideas Fahlista & Jufri (2019) found that teachers favored the Scaffolding Model in teaching reading, while Herawati

et al (2020) found positive reactions to scaffolding in students gaining reading skills Yawiloeng (2022) noted that most EFL students interpret instructor instructions and multimodal texts to improve their reading comprehension Overall, these studies demonstrate the importance of effective implementation of scaffolding exercises in developing students’ reading skills

In terms of teaching writing skills, the combination of scaffolding by diverse procedures creates a large diversity, with the benefit that numerous models have been researched for teachers to assist students through step-by-step writing projects This is the format for the literature in this field Riazi & Rezaii (2011) devised a research to investigate and evaluate the influence of teacher- and peer-scaffolding on students' writing abilities using the sociocultural framework, a fairly prevalent paradigm for studying scaffolding Two sets of students complete pre- and post-writing activities before and after completing a course that involves teacher-scaffolding or peer-scaffolding strategies After comparing the data, the researchers determined that the students who got instructor scaffolding appeared to be more effective in increasing their writing abilities Vonna, Mukminatien, & Laksmi (2015) did an experimental study as well, but this time they focused on teacher-scaffolding students' writing skills using experimental and control groups The researchers determined that instructors' instructional scaffolding increased students' writing achievement since the findings were significantly different In Malaysia, Singh, Mohtar, Kepol, Abdullah, Mat, Moneyam, and Rahmayanti (2020) conducted a qualitative study to validate the scaffolding models and modules, which are divided into Controlled Writing, Guided Writing, and Almost Free Writing, for teaching writing skills, particularly to weak English learners They triangulated data acquired from document analysis, classroom observation, interviews, and assessments As a consequence, scaffolding has a favorable and beneficial influence on teaching and acquiring writing

abilities The findings of this advanced type of investigation backup Faraj's findings (2015)

He conducted an experimental study, collected pre-writing tasks, used scaffolding with the proposed writing process of Prewriting, Drafting, Revising, Editing, and Publishing, and collected post-writing tasks After analyzing the gathered data, he discovered that, first, scaffolding satisfies the demands of EFL learners in developing writing skills, despite the fact that most of them struggled with the basic parts of writing, and second, it considerably enhances students' writing performance Similarly, Ikawati (2020) posited in her research that scaffolding may be utilized as a teaching method to develop students' writing skills by including the writing process in the genre-based approach that represents scaffolding

Scaffolding is also a viable research topic for many experts in Vietnam Pham (2017) investigated interaction patterns in the speech of two instructors during teacher-fronted time

in order to better understand what scaffolding strategies were utilized and how they associated with student language production The center reveals a significant range of strategies used by teachers to facilitate L2 learning, ranging from demonstrating a stronger resistance to the traditional teacher-finding method by engaging students in a variety of work activities and creating opportunities for meaningful communication in the classroom to scaffolding through repetition and comprehension checks and spending more time on lecturing It is said that they provide such a relevant and fruitful learning atmosphere for their kids Hong and Nguyen (2019) concentrated on a special scaffolding strategy for teaching pre-reading reading that is questioning The authors highlighted several fascinating and novel discoveries using a mix of tools: questionnaire, observation, and semi-questionnaire Educators believed that posing questions prior to commencing a reading assignment enhanced students' engagement with the topic, facilitated connections to their pre-existing knowledge and experiences, and proved beneficial to them Tran and Nguyen (2021) argued that little is known about how teachers perceive scaffolding support to improve the reading comprehension of high school students in Vietnam, so they conducted a descriptive study, distributing questionnaires to 79 teachers, and conducting a semi-interview with 6 teachers to learn about the problem mentioned above According to the findings of the study, instructors regard scaffolding as a beneficial technique for promoting student reading, which impacts teachers' responsibilities and decisions in the reading classroom Le and Nguyen (2021) did study to determine the importance and influence of scaffolding on their students’ writing abilities The research team created questionnaires and research questions concentrating on these two features, which they

subsequently administered to first-year English majors at Hue University of Foreign Languages According to the findings of the study, students are aware of the value of scaffolding activities, but certain scaffolding strategies have not helped them make substantial progress The authors explain that the students' familiarity with the activity influences their impression of how valuable they are, and that their language level influences their degree of usefulness Teacher scaffolding supports can help youngsters The study team then suggests some practical implications for instructors when developing scaffolding strategies to help students in this skill

However, we witness the emergence of scaffolding with abilities that have also occurred

in numerous studies in the other nations stated above, but without listening skills

After a thorough review of the aforementioned literature, the present study underscores the growing academic interest in scaffolding in foreign language instruction, as numerous types of research, ranging from critical to experimental, have been conducted to demonstrate its usefulness Furthermore, research has looked at other elements of scaffolding, such as teacher and student views, how teachers employ these approaches in the classroom, and so on However, in terms of quantity and aspect, the implementation of these scaffolding strategies

in speaking, reading, and writing abilities receives far more attention than listening skills Another point to emphasize is that listening is a vital ability for beginning the process of learning any new language Listening research at both local and global scales focuses only on student needs and the effectiveness of scaffolding in enhancing students' listening abilities The use of this approach in teaching, particularly the benefits and drawbacks experienced by instructors while employing it, leads to biased and erroneous evaluations in the employment

of this technique by teachers, as well as It is also difficult for teachers to draw practical conclusions from these research when they are needed It is also worth mentioning that the research placed a strong emphasis on the academic context There are still numerous challenges linked to scaffolding in teaching listening skills that need to be researched at the high school level

As a result, the author focuses on the perception and reality of instructors in scaffolding students' listening comprehension in this study With the following two particular research questions:

- What are high school EFL teachers’ perceptions of scaffolding students’ listening comprehension?

- What is teachers’ practice of implementing scaffolding strategies in teaching listening skills in English class?

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 3.1 Introduction

This chapter covers the research methodology utilized to answer the research questions Section 3.2 describes the research's design, which directs the whole study Section 3.3 includes the rationale for the study's participant selection as well as a full description of the participants Section 3.4 discusses data collection methods, including the reasoning for instrument choices, instrument design, and data collection procedure The chapter continues with section 3.5 data analysis, which demonstrates how the acquired data is analyzed and interpreted, and concludes with a brief review of the important themes of the chapter

The author prepared a questionnaire for the quantitative approach to determine the knowledge and opinion of instructors who use scaffolding techniques in teaching listening skills to enhance students' listening comprehension Furthermore, the study employed classroom observation and teacher interviews in the qualitative technique to investigate the actuality of applying scaffolding strategies in listening skills classes The collected data was then analyzed and interpreted to derive conclusions regarding what is perceived and what is

true of instructors utilizing scaffolding strategies to promote listening comprehension for EFL students in Thua Thien Hue high schools

3.3 Participants

The study's participants were chosen using a random sampling technique from high schools in Thua Thien Hue province Random sampling, according to Creswell (2012), is the best approach to pick a sample without bias Similarly, Taherdoost (2016) states that randomization of participants is required in quantitative research to reduce the possibility of outside influences and to assure generalizability of the results Another key consideration in questionnaire research is sample size, because quantitative research need a large enough sample size to allow for a statistical measurement of a convincing result

Coombe & Davison (2015) suggest that a sample size of at least 10% of the research population is appropriate Meanwhile, Mustafa & Robillos (2020) recommend using a large sample size to increase the persuasiveness of research and suggest using the largest possible sample to provide sufficient data to answer research questions

Taking the aforementioned concerns into account, researchers strive to enroll as many participants as possible The researcher of the current study contacted and obtained informed permission from 50 EFL instructors The objectives and key features of the research challenge were properly presented to the subjects They were then sent the online questionnaire through email, Facebook, and Zalo 48 of the 50 surveys that were distributed were completed and returned The following table provides full details of the respondents' backgrounds who responded to the questionnaire

Table 3.1 Summary of questionnaire participants’ background