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learners, enabling them to accomplish tasks beyond their current capabilities. According to Wood,
Bruner, and Ross (1976), scaffolding involves the gradual transfer of responsibility from the teacher to
the learner as the latter develops competence in the target skill. In the context of speaking skills
development, scaffolding strategies are indispensable tools for guiding learners through the
complexities of oral communication tasks.
Empirical evidence supports the significant impact of scaffolding strategies on EFL learners' speaking
proficiency. Studies have shown that scaffolded instructional approaches, such as explicit modeling,
guided practice, and corrective feedback, contribute to enhanced speaking fluency and accuracy
(Lantolf & Thorne, 2006; Swain, 2000). By providing learners with structured support and opportunities
for interaction, scaffolding strategies create a conducive environment for language production and skill
refinement. For instance, Lantolf and Thorne (2006) emphasize the role of collaborative dialogue in
scaffolding speaking skills, highlighting its potential to promote language development through
negotiation of meaning and peer assistance.
Furthermore, the effectiveness of scaffolding strategies in EFL speaking instruction is underscored by
sociocultural theory, which posits that learning occurs within social and cultural contexts (Vygotsky,
1978). According to this theoretical framework, language learning is a socially mediated process
wherein learners actively engage with more knowledgeable others to internalize language knowledge
and skills. In the context of speaking skills development, scaffolding strategies serve as mediational
tools that facilitate learners' participation in communicative interactions, thereby fostering language
acquisition and communicative competence (Lantolf, 2000; Ellis, 2019). In addition, recent extensions
of sociocultural theory, such as the ecological perspective on language learning, emphasize the
importance of considering the sociocultural context and ecological affordances in designing scaffolding
interventions for EFL speaking instruction (van Lier, 2004; Thorne, 2019)
Moreover, the notion of zone of proximal development (ZPD), central to Vygotsky's sociocultural
theory, elucidates the significance of scaffolding in promoting language learning. The ZPD refers to the
discrepancy between learners' current level of competence and their potential level of development with
appropriate assistance (Vygotsky, 1978). Scaffolding strategies operate within the ZPD, providing
learners with the necessary support to bridge the gap between their existing proficiency and the desired