Effects of zone of proximal development based scaffolding techniques on reading comprehension of Thai university students

Abstract

                  This present study aimed to investigate the effects of ZPD based scaffolding techniques on reading
comprehension and attitudes of Thai University Students and identify the major obstacles in the reading session of English compulsory course 1 at Nakhon Pathom Rajabhat University. The participants were forty eight first year students from various faculties. Questionnaires were distributed to all subjects. The data obtained through questionnaires were then computed and quantitatively analyzed by utilizing the SPSS program. In general, the results from t-test and Delayed Post-Test revealed the positive effect of the ZPD based scaffolding techniques in enhancing reading comprehension for students. Moreover, the results also indicated the prospects of positively supporting the incorporation of ZPD based scaffolding techniques in teaching. Additionally, the overall results showed that each of the fifteen survey items had effects on students’ attitudes. In addition, the findings unveiled that there were some other concerning points when applying the techniques to classroom. The pedagogical implementation will also be discussed.