Reimagining the Zone of Proximal Development: Socially-Situated Scaffolding in the Development of Second Language Speaking Fluency

The development of speaking fluency in a second language is often viewed as an individual cognitive achievement tied to grammatical mastery and lexical retrieval. However, recent sociocultural perspectives inspired by Lev Vygotsky reposition speaking as a fundamentally social and interaction-dependent skill. This article explores how learning to speak fluently in a new language is supported through scaffolding within the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). Drawing from the New Vygotskyan view, the paper argues that collaborative dialogue, teacher mediation, and peer assistance play central roles in helping learners internalize communicative strategies and linguistic forms. Pedagogical implications are discussed, emphasizing interaction-rich classroom practices that elevate participation, co-construction of meaning, and cultural mediation.

کلیدواژه ها:

Sociocultural Theory ، Zone of Proximal Development ، Speaking Fluency ، Scaffolding ، Peer Interaction ، Teacher Mediation ، Vygotsky ، Second Language Development ، Collaborative Dialogue ، Language Internalization