Task-Based Technology Scaffolds to Increase 5th graders’ Language Learning

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop, implement, and evaluate technology enhanced scaffolding design in Task Based Language Teaching (TBLT) for English beginner level students at a middle school with a limited technology infrastructure and low SES profile. The implementation’s effectiveness was assessed by a comparison of pre and posttest data from 38 fifth graders in a control and experimental group, as well as an analysis of the latter’s responses to classroom tasks and feedback questions collected periodically. While both groups progressed, the experimental group significantly outperformed the control in the posttest. Paired samples comparisons showed that the learners in the experimental group improved their test scores significantly in all the subtests, while those in the control showed a significant increase only in vocabulary questions. The additional descriptive analysis of the qualitative data collected from the experimental group provided evidence for how this difference occurred. Based on the findings of the study, an amendment to the guidelines for scaffolding design software is suggested from the perspective of teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in limited contexts.