Teachers' use of online scaffolding strategies in a poly-synchronous grammar course: Effect and perception of Indonesian EFL students

Technology-based scaffolding has emerged as an area of interest in EFL research, particularly in the context of grammar learning and comprehension. The current study sought to examine the impact of online teacher scaffolding on the grammatical proficiency of Indonesian EFL learners and the students' perceptions of the learning experience. For this purpose, 42 Indonesian EFL students, majoring in International Relations, were involved in this study. Utilizing a mixed method, this study employed t-tests to compare the efficacy of teachers' scaffolding in enhancing students' proficiency in online English grammar classes, with a particular focus on grammar for the TOEFL exam. Meanwhile, a semi-structured interview was employed to explore the students' perceptions regarding their experience in grammar online classes. The results showed that despite the limited duration of a few weeks, the post-test findings demonstrated a significant enhancement in the grammatical proficiency of Indonesian EFL learners through the implementation of technology-based teacher scaffolding. In addition, the students also elicited favourable responses regarding their participation in online grammar classes. The findings indicated that educators and instructors can effectively use certain scaffolding strategies in online learning for pedagogical purposes, especially online learning scaffolding for interaction.