Summary of the article
Some of the factors that summarize the article drafted by Baleghizadeh, Timcheh, and Timcheh in 2011 are scaffolding and Zonal Proximal Development (ZPD). The article sets out with a definition of the terms and continues to explain the relevance of the defined terms. According to the article, scaffolding entails aid accorded to students by teachers with the intention of helping them understand issues in an independent manner.
The article states that besides teachers, students can also help their colleagues provided they have the requisite skills in the subject under study. Furthermore, the article alludes that the incorporation of student-to-student assistance improves the quality of scaffolding. The article has addressed the issue of limited information concerning classroom scaffolding. Apparently, the article highlights that several scholars have provided information that helps teachers improve student scaffolding.
To substantiate its argument, the article sets out to collect and analyze data by sampling a group of Iranian students. The systematic approach utilized by the article in data collection and analysis is very important in compounding the issue and clarifying the essential role of scaffolding.
One of the major factors that come out in the study of scaffolding and its role in learning is ZPD. From the findings, scaffolding is more effective when teachers understand the student ZPD and incorporate it into the learning process. It is clear from the article that students who receive aid without regard to their ZPD are unlikely to improve in comparison to their counterparts trained in line with their ZPDs. The article concludes by asserting that to make scaffolding effective, teachers need to incorporate ZPD into the learning process.
Strengths and Advantages of the Article
Some of the strengths evident in the article include its ability to explain the importance of scaffolding and the systematic nature of data collection and analysis. The article begins its argument by defining terms such as scaffolding and ZPD. The definition of these terms takes about two pages a factor that helps the readers understand the concepts and easily grasp the argument outlined in the article (Baleghizadeh, Timcheh, & Timcheh 2011).
The systematic process that comprises data collection and analysis is another strength that the article demonstrates. The article begins its methodology by clearly outlining the participants, the materials used in the study, and the procedure utilized by the study before analyzing the collected data and providing results. The overall process is useful in coining the role of scaffolding and its relationship with student ZPD and serves as one of the strengths in the article.
In the same vein, the advantages of the article comprise its authentic nature and its relationship with contemporary times. The information presented in the article is practical and real. The factual nature of the information is evident from the data collected and analyzed. According to Bourke-Waite (2015), articles play an important role because they provide information that, in most cases, resonates with a particular period in a realistic and practical manner.
The advantage linked to the relationship with contemporary time emanates from the time when the article came into place. Apparently, the publication of the article, which is 2011, is modern and applies to the issues that influence the learning processes of contemporary times. The fact that the article was drafted at a modern time is an advantage that makes it outsmart other articles drafted before 2011.
Shortcomings and Disadvantages of the Article
Outdated Sources and Bias
Use of sources that are not relative to the present time is one of the shortcomings associated with the article. Hargreaves (2017) explains that peer-reviewed articles rely on information advanced by other scholars, a factor that determines their overall quality.
Therefore, the implication of outdated sources used by the article is limited success in the overall quality of information utilized by the article. The fact that the information collected besides data is from sources that range from 1980 to 2010 is a limitation that decreases the article’s ability to address issues that affect contemporary learners. Although the article was drafted in 2011, its reliance on the information presented by scholars who developed their articles in the 1980s is a shortcoming that challenges its usefulness in the comprehensive understanding of scaffolding, ZPD, and learning.
Another shortcoming that is evident in the article is the issue of bias. From the beginning of the article, it is clear that it accords a lot of inclination to on concept of scaffolding and excludes ZPD. Remarkably, as much as scaffolding is the main factor that helps augment the process of learning, ZPD is a determinant that dictates the extent to which the students grasp a particular subject. It is very evident from the article that the issue of ZPD comes in towards the end of the article, especially at the section of interpretation and discussion. At these sections, the issue becomes imminent; thus, informing the need to have it from the onset of the article. Notably, without utilizing scaffolding in line with the student ZPD, its success becomes unattainable.
Limited Coverage Due To Size and Prolonged Abstract
On the other hand, disadvantages that take effect in the article include limited coverage of due to its size and prolonged abstract. The size of the article is minimal, an implication that compels the authors to summarize the information contained therein. Apparently, many aspects that could help in comprehensive coverage of information fail to materialize because of the small size of the article.
The issue becomes evident when a number of definitions take up the larger part of the article, and methodology almost covers the entire draft. Bourke-Waite (2015) explains that one of the major disadvantages associated with article and journals is their minimal size, which affects the quality of information that they convey. As such, the small size of the article makes it less useful as compared to books that utilize several pages and convey information in a comprehensive and conclusive manner.
Another disadvantage that the article demonstrates is prolonged abstract. Unlike other peer-reviewed journals that organize their format to include other sections useful in relaying particular information, the article uses several pages to provide an abstract. Although the abstract helps the readers understand the concepts of a particular piece of literature, it should not exceed a page and should be dependent on the size of the article or book (Hargreaves 2017). Due to the small size of the article, it was unwise to write an abstract that covers three pages. Therefore, the prolonged abstract is a disadvantage that limits the quality of the article.
Reference List
Baleghizadeh, S, Timcheh, A & Timcheh, H 2011, ‘A sociocultural perspective on second language acquisition: the effect of high-structured scaffolding versus low-structured scaffolding on the writing ability of EFL learners’. Reflections on English Language Teaching, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 43-54.
Bourke-Waite, A 2015, ‘Innovations in scholarly peer review at Nature Publishing Group and Palgrave Macmillan’. Insights, vol. 28, no. 2, pp. 15-36.
Hargreaves, C 2017, Peer review: pros and cons. Web.