Implementing the scaffolding interaction cycle to enable first year undergraduate students to write effective summary-reflections

Abstract

This study evaluates the scaffolding interaction cycle (Rose, 2005; Rose et al., 2008) as a method for text deconstruction in class. The strategy prepared students to write a summary- reflection. To guide the scaffolding interaction cycle and assess the students’ writing, the Academic Writing Assessment Criteria (Rose et al., 2008), were used. A pre-test, intervention, and post-test were conducted to determine if students’ writing had improved after the session. The intervention was a reading of a student’s low scoring summary- reflection from a previous cohort. Findings indicate that this strategy is effective for demonstrating a problematic student paper and also teaching what is required to ameliorate it. It is also beneficial to follow up on the strategy by asking students to work in groups and improve the text through collaborative tasking. The task cycle was ended by students writing individual summary reflections for independent study. It was observed that transfer to individual writing was substantial. Quantitative data demonstrating improvements from pre- to post-tests is provided. So also is qualitative data in the form of extracts of the in-class scaffolding interaction cycle (Rose, 2005; Rose et al., 2008). Finally, implications for the use of the cycle in tertiary classrooms are discussed.