CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1
1.1 Background 1
1.1.1 Theoretical Background 1
1.1.2 English Language Learning in the Chinese Context 2
1.2 A Brief Review of Literature 3
1.3 Purpose of Research 4
1.4 Outline of the Book 4
CHAPTER 2 SOCIOCULTURAL PERSPECTIVES ON SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNING 6
2.1 Fundamental Concepts of Sociocultural Theory 6
2.1.1 The Importance of Social Interaction 6
2.1.2 The Zone of Proximal Development（ZPD） 8
2.1.2.1 The Definition of ZPD 8
2.1.2.2 The Role of ZPD 9
2.1.3 Scaffolding 9
2.1.3.1 The Definition of Scaffolding 9
2.1.3.2 The Role of Scaffolding 10
2.1.3.3 Features of Scaffolding 11
2.2 Research on Scaffolding，ZPD and Second Language Learning 14
2.2.1 Research on Scaffolding in Expert-novice and Peer-peer Interaction 14
2.2.1.1 Research on Scaffolding in Expert-novice Interaction 14
2.2.1.2 Research on Scaffolding in Peer-peer Interaction 17
2.2.2 Research on the Zone of Proximal Development（ZPD） 22
2.2.2.1 Research on ZPD in Expert-novice Interaction 22
2.2.2.2 Research on ZPD in Peer-peer Interaction 27
2.3 Research Gap 28
2.4 Research Questions 30
CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODS AND DESIGN 32
3.1 Design 32
3.1.1 Grouping 32
3.1.2 Pre-task Interview 34
3.1.3 Pre-test and Post-test 34
3.2 Participants'Profiles 35
3.2.1 Students'Profiles 35
3.2.2 Teachers'Profiles 36
3.3 Pedagogic Task 37
3.3.1 Focus of the Grammatical Form 37
3.3.2 The Task 38
3.4 Data Collection Procedures 38
3.5 Data Analysis 39
3.5.1 Procedures of Data Analysis 39
3.5.2 Analysis of the Discourse 40
3.5.2.1 Identifying Scaffolding Episodes 41
3.5.2.2 Coding and Quantifying Scaffolding Types in Episodes 42
3.5.2.3 Consistency 43
3.5.3 Transcription Conventions 43
3.5.4 Operational Definitions of Coding Categories 44
CHAPTER 4 MICROGENETIC ANALYSIS OF THE CLASSROOM DISCOURSE 47
4.1 Scaffolding in Clarifying the Meaning of Key Words，Sentence，or Paragraph 47
4.1.1 Scaffolding in Student-student Interaction 48
4.1.1.1 Clarifying Meaning at Word Level 48
4.1.1.2 Clarifying Meaning at Sentence Level 50
4.1.1.3 Clarifying Meaning at Paragraph Level 51
4.1.2 Scaffolding in Teacher-student Interaction 56
4.1.2.1 Clarifying Meaning at Word Level 57
4.1.2.2 Clarifying Meaning at Sentence Level 60
4.1.2.3 Clarifying Meaning at Paragraph Level 63
4.1.3 Scaffolding in Teacher-student+student-student Interaction 67
4.1.3.1 Clarifying Meaning at Word Level 67
4.1.3.2 Clarifying Meaning at Sentence Level 73
4.1.3.3 Clarifying Meaning at Paragraph Level 76
4.2 Scaffolding in Noticing the Form 80
4.2.1 Scaffolding in Student-student Interaction 80
4.2.2 Scaffolding in Teacher-student Interaction 86
4.2.3 Scaffolding in Teacher-student+student-student Interaction 92
4.2.3.1 Teacher Acting as a Facilitator or Encourager 92
4.2.3.2 Teacher Acting as a Guide or Supervisor 104
CHAPTER 5 QUANTITATlVE RESULTS 108
5.1 Quantitative Analysis of Scaffolding Episodes 108
5.1.1 Quantifying Scaffolding Episodes 108
5.1.2 Quantifying Scaffolding Functions 109
5.1.2.1 Distribution of Each Scaffolding Function in Total Episodes 109
5.1.2.2 Occurrence of Each Scaffolding Function in Each Setting 110
5.2 Statistical Analysis of Results from Pre-test and Post-test 114
5.3 Report on the Students'Revised Writings 115
5.3.1 Exemplification of Correct and Incorrect Target Forms in Students'Writings 115
5.3.2 Comparison of the Number of Correct Target Forms in Three Settings 116
5.4 Summary of Students'English Learning Experience from Interview 117
CHAPTER 6 DISCUSSION 121
6.1 The Role of Scaffolding When Focusing on Form 121
6.2 The Impact of Scaffolding on Learning the Target Form in the Three Classroom Settings 122
6.2.1 Teacher-student+student-student Interaction 123
6.2.1.1 The Most Effective Setting 123
6.2.1.2 The Most Conducive Pathway to Learn Grammatical Forms 132
6.2.1.3 High Quality of Scaffolding Functions 133
6.2.2 Teacher-student Interaction 142
6.2.2.1 The Second Effective Setting 142
6.2.2.2 An Alternative Pathway to Learn Grammatical Forms 145
6.2.2.3 Lower Quality of Scaffolding Functions 146
6.2.3 Student-student Interaction 151
6.2.3.1 The Least Effective Setting 151
6.2.3.2 An Alternative Pathway to Learn Grammatical Forms 155
6.2.3.3 Lowest Quality of Scaffolding Functions 157
6.3 Implications of the Study 162
6.3.1 Implicationsfor Sociocultural Theory 162
6.3.2 Pedagogical Implications for Classroom Language Learning 163
CHAPTER 7 CONCLUSION 165
7.1 Summary of the Findings 165
7.2 Significance of the Study 167
7.3 Limitations of the Study 170
7.4 Recommendations for Future Research 172
Appendix Ⅰ 174
Appendix Ⅱ 175
Appendix Ⅲ 177
Appendix Ⅳ 179
Appendix Ⅴ 181
Appendix Ⅵ 184
Appendix Ⅶ 185
Appendix Ⅷ 189
Bibliography 293