the effects of scaffolding techniques on ielts candidates' horizontal grammatical variability: a mixed-method study

Grammatical accuracy has always been a concern for most iranian efl learners. this is mainly because the methods used for teaching grammar in iran are mostly outdated. grammatical variability is more visible in the writing performance of iranian ielts candidates. in the present study, the impacts of various scaffolding techniques (distributed, peer and reciprocal scaffolding) on ielts learners' horizontal grammatical variability before and after the course were investigated. to do so, an explanatory mixed design was employed to first statistically measure the differences among scaffolding types, and second, to develop a better understanding of teachers' and the learners' perceptions toward them. to this end, 120 ielts candidates were randomly selected from a pool of 367 candidates, and they were put in three experimental groups and a control group. each scaffolding type was used in one of the experimental groups as the treatment. five different essay topics were given to each student before the course and after the course. two official ielts mock examiners rated the writing performances according to the details of ielts criteria about grammar accuracy and variability. ancova results showed that in distributed and reciprocal scaffolding classes, the differences were significant. the qualitative findings showed that although there was a discrepancy between the teachers' and the learners' attitudes toward the possible success of the treatments, in the end, both parties confirmed that they can be beneficial. due to the fact that 'time' has always been a precious parameter in ielts preparatory classes, these findings can be of help to ielts teachers and candidates.