The Scaffolding Approach Applied In High School English Writing Teaching

Scaffolding has drawn great attention in linguistic field since it was first introduced. Apart from its great theoretical value in linguistic study, scaffolding is highly valued in foreign language teaching. This thesis tries to apply the theory to high school English writing teaching.First of all, two high school classes are chosen to be the experimental class and the control class. Based on the pre-test and questionnaires, these two classes are found similar in English writing. Afterwards, the author designs the research procedures as well as research content. The Scaffolding Method is conducted in the experimental class while the traditional method is used in the control class. Then, tests and questionnaires are carried out to evaluate the experiment. The pre-test and post-test of the experimental class and control class are conducted on the collected data respectively. According to the collected data, the author makes a comprehensive comparison. Meanwhile, the questionnaires are thoroughly analyzed so as to draw a safe conclusion. Finally, the author analyzes whether it is effective to apply the Scaffolding Method in high school English writing teaching.The results of the experiment show that the Scaffolding Method has certain advantages over the traditional writing teaching method. It has improved the overall average score. Besides, it can effectively improve the lowest level and increase the number of the students of the higher writing level. The average score of the experimental class in the pre-test, which is 14.41, has increased to 16.50 in the post-test. The average score of the control class in the pre-test, which is 14.48, has increased to 15.45 in the post-test. Compared with the experimental class, the average score of the control class has improved insignificantly. In terms of the highest level, namely 21-25, the average score in the experimental class is higher than that in the control class by 6.25%. As for the second highest level, namely 16-20, the average score in the experimental class is higher than that in the control class by 10.56%. In comparison, the experimental class has an obvious strength.The Scaffolding Method helps students have a positive attitude towards English writing, and effectively motivates their enthusiasm in English writing and enhances their awareness of English writing. The experiment indicates that it has no obvious advantages in the following three aspects:English grammar, attitudes towards marks and comments, and desire for writing training. On the whole, the application of the Scaffolding Method has proved effective in high school English writing teaching.