A Comparative Study of ZPD-Based Teacher and Peer Feedback in Comprehending Reading and Reading Strategies

Document Type : Research article

Authors
M. Dehqan 1
M. Kazemi Malekmahmoodi 2
M. Abtahi 3
1 Assistant Professor, English Department, University of Mazandaran; Mazandaran, Iran
2 PhD Candidate in Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran
3 PhD Candidate in Isfahan University, Isfahan, Iran
10.48311/LRR.16.1.59
Abstract
Sociocultural Theory (SCT) of second language learning puts the emphasis on social interaction and regards it as a pre-requisite for cognitive development (Vygotsky, 1978). Drawing on the SCT, the present study aimed to delve into the possible effect of ZPD-based teacher and peer feedback on reading comprehension and reading strategy use of EFL learners. In so doing, 75 Iranian EFL learners, who were randomly assigned into two experimental and one comparison groups, participated in a quasi-experimental study. The data were collected through Oxford Placement Test (OPT), reading comprehension test and reading strategy questionnaire. One of the experimental groups received teacher feedback based on Aljaafreh and Lantolf's (1994) regulatory scale while the other experimental group accomplished the reading task using the feedback provided by the peers. Results obtained from the one–way ANOVA and Tukey test demonstrated that both experimental groups, teacher and peer, gained significantly more and performed better than the comparison group in reading comprehension while there was no significant difference between teacher and peer feedback groups in reading comprehension. The findings of the strategy questionnaire indicated no statistically significant difference between experimental and control groups, leading to the conclusion that students’ grouping did not influence their use of reading strategy. Therefore, it is concluded that peer feedback can be as effective as teacher feedback, aiding teachers to have a learner–centered classroom by implementing peer feedback rather than teacher feedback.

Keywords

Subjects

Aghaie, R., & Zhang, L. (2012). Effects of explicit instruction in cognitive and metacognitive reading strategies on Iranian EFL students’ reading performance and strategy transfer. Instructional Science, 40(6), 1063-1081. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11251-011-9202-5
Aljaafreh, A., & Lantolf, J. (1994). Negative feedback as regulation and second language learning in the Zone of Proximal Development. The Modern Language Journal, 78(4), 465-483. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/328585
Anton, M., & Dicamilla, F. (1999). Socio-cognitive functions of L1 collaborative interaction in the L2 classroom. The Modern Language Journal, 83(2), 233-247. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/0026-7902.00018

Bogale, Y. N. (2018). Conceptualizing reading to learn: Strategy instruction and EFL students’ reading comprehension. International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction, 10(2), 93-117. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Block, C. C. (1993). Strategy instruction in a literature-based program. Elementary School Journal, 94, 139-151. http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/461756
Connor, U., & Asenavage, K. (1994). Peer response groups in ESL writing classes: How much impact on revision?. Journal of Second Language Writing, 3(3), 257-276. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/1060-3743(94)90019-1
Dehqan, M., & Samar, R. (2014). Reading comprehension in a sociocultural context: Effect on learners of two proficiency levels. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 98, 404-410. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.03.433
Donato, R. (1994). Collective scaffolding in second language learning. In J. P. Lantolf, & G. Appel (Eds.), Vygostkian approaches to second language research (pp. 33-56). New Jersey: Ablex
Dreyer, C., & Nel, C. (2003). Teaching reading strategies and reading comprehension within a technology-enhanced learning environment. System, 31(3), 349-365. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0346-251x(03)00047-2
Foster, P., & Ohta, A. (2005). Negotiation for meaning and peer assistance in second language classrooms. Applied Linguistics, 26(3), 402-430. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/applin/ami014
Ghafar Samar, R., & Dehqan, M. (2013). Sociocultural theory and reading comprehension: The scaffolding of readers in an EFL context. International Journal of Research Studies in Language Learning, 2 (3), 67-80. http://dx.doi.org/10.5861/ijrsll.2012.183
Goldstein, L. M. (2004). Questions and answers about teacher written commentary and student revision: Teachers and students working together. Journal of Second Language Writing, 13(1), 63-80.
Hyland, K., & Hyland, F. (2006). Feedback on second language students' writing. Language Teaching, 39(2), 83-101. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0261444806003399
Jalalifarahani, H., & Azizi, M. (2012). The Efficacy of peer vs. teacher response in enhancing grammatical accuracy & general writing quality of advanced vs. elementary proficiency EFL learners. International Proceedings of Economics Development & Research, 33, 88-92.
Karimi, L., & Jalilvand, M. (2014). The effect of peer and teacher scaffolding on the reading comprehension of EFL learners in asymmetrical and symmetrical groups. The Journal of Teaching Language Skills (JTLS), 5 (4), 1-17.
Karpicke, J. D., Butler, A. C., & Roediger, H. L. (2009). Metacognitive strategies in student learning: Do students practice retrieval when they study on their own? Memory, 17(4), 471-9. https://doi.org/10.1080/09658210802647009
Khori, M., & Ahmad, A. (2018). Enhancing students’ reading comprehension through the collaboration between reciprocal teaching and cooperative learning. Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, 178, 574-577. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Lantolf, J. P. (2006). Language emergence: Implications for applied linguistics - A sociocultural perspective. Applied Linguistics, 27(4), 717-728. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/applin/aml034
Lantolf, J. P., & Thorne, S. L. (2006). Sociocultural theory and the genesis of second language development. Oxford: OUP.
Lantolf, J. P., & Pavlenko, A. (1995). Sociocultural theory and second language acquisition. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 15, 108-124. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0267190500002646
Magno, C. (2010). The effect of scaffolding on children’s reading speed, reading anxiety, and reading proficiency. TESOL Journal, 3, 92-98.
Memary Hanjani, A., & Li, L. (2014). Exploring L2 writers' collaborative revision interactions and their writing performance. System, 44, 101-114. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2014.03.004
Mezek, S., J., McGrath, L., Negretti, R., & Berggren, J. (2021). Scaffolding L2 academic reading and self-regulation through task and feedback. TESOL QUARTERLY, 1-27.
Nassaji, H., & Swain, M. (2000). A Vygotskian perspective on corrective feedback in L2: The effect of random versus negotiated help on the learning of English articles. Language Awareness, 9(1), 34-51. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09658410008667135
Paulus, T. (1999). The effect of peer and teacher feedback on student writing. Journal of Second Language Writing, 8(3), 265-289. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s1060-3743(99)80117-9
Rahimi, A., & Ghanbari, N. (2011). The Impact of teachers’ scaffolding on Iranian high school students’ reading comprehension. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 28, 1072-1075. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.11.193
Rea-Dickins, P. (2006). Currents and eddies in the discourse of assessment: a learning-focused interpretation. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 16(2), 163-188. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1473-4192.2006.00112.x
Rémi A. C., & Lawrence, W. (2012). Teaching, learning, and developing L2 French sociolinguistic competence: A sociocultural perspective. Applied Linguistics, 33(2), 184-205. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amr048
Robinson, P. (2001). Task complexity, cognitive resources, and syllabus design: A triadic framework for examining task influences on SLA. In P. Robinson (Ed.), Cognition and second language instruction (pp. 287-318). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Rollinson, P. (2005). Using peer feedback in the ESL writing class. English Language Teaching Journal, 59(1), 23–30.
Rueda, R., MacGillivray, L., Monzó, L., & Arzubiaga, A. (2001). Engaged reading: A multi-level approach to considering sociocultural features with diverse learners. In D. McInerny & S. Van Etten (Eds.), Research on sociocultural influences on motivation and learning (pp. 233-264). Greenwich, CT: Information Age.
Sabet, M., Tahriri, A., & Pasand, P. (2013). The Impact of peer scaffolding through process approach on EFL learners’ academic writing fluency. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 3(10). http://dx.doi.org/10.4304/tpls.3.10.1893-1901
Shabani, K., Samarghandi, S., & Bakhshi, E. (2016). The Effect of content feedback and reading strategies on reading comprehension: Extroverted and introverted learners. International Research in Education, 5(1), 17. http://dx.doi.org/10.5296/ire.v5i1.9892
Suwantarathip, O., & Wichadee, S. (2014). The effects of collaborative writing activity using google docs on students’ writing ability. The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology (TOJET), 13(2), 148-156
Taheri, M., & Abdollahi-Guilani, M. (2019). A comparative investigation of peer revision versus teacher revision on the production and comprehension of relative clauses in Iranian EFL students’ writing performance. Journal of Modern Research in English Language Studies, 5(3), 1-29. http://dx.doi.org/10.30479/jmrels.2019.10509.1314
Van Compernolle, R., & Williams, L. (2011). Promoting sociolinguistic competence in the classroom zone of proximal development. Language Teaching Research, 16(1), 39-60. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1362168811423340
Vygotsky, L. (1978). Interaction between learning and development. Readings on the development of children, 23(3), 34-41.
Wells, G. (1999). Using L1 to master L2: A response to Anton and DiCamilla's 'socio-cognitive functions of L1 collaborative interaction in the L2 classroom'. The Modern Language Journal, 83(2), 248-254. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/0026-7902.00019
Wilson, K. (2003). A social constructivist approach to teaching reading: Turning the rhetoric into reality. A paper presented in the 16th Educational Conference of Melbourne.
Wood, D., Bruner, J.S., & Ross, G. (1976). The role of tutoring in problem. Child Psychol. Psychiat., 17, 89 - 100.
Wu, W. S. (2006). Using blogs in an EFL writing class. Proceedings of 2005 International Conference and Workshop on TEFL & Applied Linguistics, Taiwan, 8(9), 426-432.
Yang, L., & Wilson, K. (2006). Second language classroom reading: A social constructivist approach. The Reading Matrix, 6(3), 364-372.
Yüksel D, Soruç A, McKinley J. (2021). Teachers’ beliefs and practices about oral corrective feedback in university EFL classes. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijal.12336
Zhang, S. (1995). Reexamining the affective advantage of peer feedback in the ESL writing class. Journal of Second Language Writing, 4(3), 209-222. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/1060-3743(95)90010-1
Zhang, L. J. (2010). A dynamic metacognitive systems account of Chinese university students’ knowledge about EFL reading. TESOL Quarterly, 44, 320-53. https://doi.org/10.5054/tq.2010.223352
Language Related Research
Volume 16, Issue 1 - Serial Number 85
March and April 2025
Pages 59-86