The effectiveness of using scaffolding strategy to develop introduction writing in Tamil essays

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to determine how effective the application of the scaffolding strategy basically anchored within Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) model or framework is in improving students’ introduction writing skills in Tamil essays of Form 3 students. The foremost task faced by students in reading and writing activities here in is formulating an appropriate introduction which draws in readers and outlines and gives order to the entire essay. Nonetheless, this gap is a common challenge that most students face as it takes them longer to achieve understanding of critical components such as the outlining of a main idea, the inclusion of background information, and the presentation of an argument in a clear thesis statement. The scaffolding strategy involved in the study also provided structured guidance to the students throughout the learning process, which slowly but surely gave them the ability to write on their own. The analysis for this study strongly suggests that scaffolding improved the writing skills and writing confidence of the students and these are important for understanding how to teach Tamil language.