Fostering self-efficacy for descriptive writing in a group of participants from the sixth grade in a1 level through scaffolding strategies

Abstract

This qualitative study was conducted with students from Institución Educativa Simón Araujo, a public school in Sincelejo-Sucre, Colombia. The population for this study includes 16 students from the sixth grade between 10-12 years old, placed in A1 level (CEFR) of English language proficiency. The aim of this paper is to report the findings after implementing scaffolding strategies (learning logs and visual aids) to foster selfefficacy in English descriptive writing. The researcher used the principles of Grounded Theory to examine the different data gathered from several instruments such as students’ learning logs, a researcher journal, checklists, a pre-test and a post-test, as well as descriptive texts produced by participants. Results revealed a positive and significant impact of the strategy in the development of self-efficacy in the writing skill. Participants developed awareness of the language learning process by identifying particular areas of improvement, monitoring their learning and progress, and setting learning goals. This project also suggests novel ways to implement scaffolding strategies (learning logs and visual aids) in regional and national contexts.