Linking Instructional Scaffolding to Listening Outcomes: A Mediating Factor in Iranian EFL Learners’ Comprehension, Metacognitive Awareness and Anxiety Reduction

English foreign language learning is greatly influenced by pedagogical approaches employed, and of the latter, scaffolding has emerged as a very exceptional teaching technique. The present quasi-experimental study investigated the impact of various scaffolding techniques on Iranian intermediate learners' listening performance, metacognitive awareness, and listening anxiety. The population consisted of 180 female learners, six intact classes of 30 members per class, at a Sari, Iran-based private language school. The procedures were collected employing three instruments: IELTS Listening Test 18, Metacognitive Awareness Listening Questionnaire (MALQ), and Foreign Language Listening Anxiety Scale (FLLAS). Statistical analysis employed descriptive statistics and Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA). The results indicated that the scaffolding strategies—procedural, metacognitive, cognitive, contextual, and motivational—had differential and significant impacts on learners' listening comprehension, reduction in listening anxiety, and enhancement of metacognitive knowledge. The results demonstrate the pedagogical value of scaffolding as a theoretical construct with multiple components that can facilitate cognitive processing, enhance learner autonomy, and overcome affective barriers to foreign language listening. These results have important implications for instructional designers, learners, and EFL teachers who wish to optimize teaching listening in communicative language teaching environments.