Designing a second-order progressive problem-based scaffold strategy to promote students’ writing performance in an SVVR environment

Writing is a challenging task for students in language learning. A key question in this challenge is how to exploit the potential of information technology and design effective learning strategies to promote quality writing. This is a question that Chinese teachers need to actively consider in the process of optimizing their writing instruction. Therefore, this study embedded problem-based scaffolds in an SVVR system and proposed a second-order progressive problem-based scaffold (SPPS-SVVR) strategy to enhance students’ writing skills. To examine the effectiveness of the proposed strategy, a quasi-experiment was conducted in an elementary school in China. The experimental group (39 students) used the SPPS-SVVR writing strategy, while the control group (39 students) used the traditional SVVR writing strategy (T-SVVR). The study results showed that the SPPS-SVVR writing strategy not only significantly improved the students’ writing performance, but also increased their learning engagement and transferability. In addition, the results of epistemic network structure analysis showed that students using the SPPS-SVVR writing strategy focused on writing in terms of internal, mental, and dynamic environments. Interviews revealed that the SPPS-SVVR writing strategy supported the experimental group students’ grasp of writing ideas and verbal expressions, and they were more satisfied with this strategy.