Activating the ZPD: Mutual Scaffolding in L2 Peer Revision

Vygotsky’s concept of zone of proximal development and its related scaffolding metaphor serve as the theoretical basis for the study of peer collaboration in the English as a Second Language (ESL) writing classroom. The purpose of the study was to observe the mechanisms by which strategies of revision take shape and develop in the interpsychological space created when 2 learners are working in their respective ZPDs. A microgenetic approach was adopted to analyze the interaction produced by 2 intermediate ESL college students (a “reader” and a “writer”) as they worked collaboratively in revising a narrative text written by one of them. Although in the first half of the revision session the reader played a crucial role as mediator, both reader and writer became active partners in the revision task with guided support moving reciprocally between each other. In general, results showed that in second language (L2) peer revision scaffolding may be mutual rather than unidirectional.