Scaffolding Technique Used in Teaching Reading At Baleendah 1 Senior High School.

Abstract

This research paper is entitled “Scaffolding Technique Used in Teaching Reading at Baleendah 1 Senior High School”. This research attempted to answer the following questions: 1) What are scaffolding techniques used by the teacher in teaching reading?   2) How does the teacher implement scaffolding technique in teaching reading ? 3) What is the purpose of each techniques used by the teacher? The research is a descriptive study done in the eleventh grade of Baleendah 1 Senior High School. This research employed a qualitative research design which used two data collection techniques; classroom observation and interview. All of the data were analyzed by using three major phases of analyses: data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing and verification. This study revealed that the teachers have used scaffolding technique in teaching reading in three reading stages: pre-reading, whilst-reading and post-reading stage. Based on what Walqui (2006: 170-176) identified, the observed teachers used five main types of scaffolding in teaching reading such as modeling where the teacher uses verbal explanation and body language as s/he elaborates and demonstrates the new material, bridging where students activate prior knowledge, contextualizing which can be offered in various forms, schema building that can be defined as clusters of meaning that are organized and interconnected and developing meta cognition. In addition, the other kind of scaffolding techniques used by the teacher in teaching reading for XI grade students at Baleendah Senior High School as identified by Roehler &Cantlon (1996:112) covers explanation, inviting students’ participation, clarifying and verifying students’ understanding, modeling of desired behavior, inviting students to contribute clues. The teachers conducted the scaffolding technique to make their teaching reading effective. They implemented the technique on the students in the class according to scaffolding principle as what Rodgers, E and Rodgers, A (2004:4) explain that the teacher must be responsive to what learner does, says, acts and need. The purposes of implementing the technique at pre-reading is to build background knowledge by connection of prior knowledge to the activity at hand while affording teachers opportunities to determine the zone in which the child can perform unassisted and/or assist in the others’ performance. At during reading phase the teachers used the kinds of scaffolding for exploring and improving the students’ capability in vocabulary, pronunciation which is to get their reading comprehension by teachers’ guidance and at after reading phase (post reading) the kinds of scaffolding used by the teachers to clarify students’ understanding of the text. These findings recommend that the teachers need to prepare them as learners in academic level, be more aware of the students’ difficulties and problems in reading, consider the importance of reading for students, prepare the suitable and better constructed materials and the exercises in reading class.