Tai Hung-Cheng, Chen Chun-Ming, Tsai Yuan-Hsiung, Lee Bih-O, Setiya Dewi Yulis
Department of General Education, Chiayi Campus, Chang Gung University of Science and Technology, Chiayi 61363, Taiwan.
Joint-Appointment Research Fellow, Chiayi Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chiayi 613016, Taiwan.
Brain Sci. 2021 Oct 21;11(11):1378. doi: 10.3390/brainsci11111378.
To test the scaffolding theory when applied to the teaching and learning of writing English as a foreign language, this cross-sectional study was conducted to collect physiological data. A total of 53 participants were randomly assigned into two groups, and brain activity was investigated during a guided-writing task using storytelling pictures. The writing task was further divided into four parts using graded levels of difficulty. The experimental group performed tasks in sequence from easy to difficult, whereas the comparison group performed the tasks at random. Outcomes included handwriting assessments and fMRI measurements. Writing outcome assessments were analyzed using SPSS, and scanned images were analyzed using Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM) software. The results revealed a positive learning effect associated with scaffolding instruction. The experimental group performed better during the writing tasks, and the fMRI images showed less intense and weaker reactions in the language processing region than were observed in the comparison group. The fMRI results also presented the experimental group with reduced motor and cognitive functions when writing in English. This study provides insight regarding brain activity during writing tasks in humans and may have implications for English-language instruction.
为了检验支架理论应用于将英语作为外语的写作教学时的效果，开展了这项横断面研究以收集生理数据。总共53名参与者被随机分为两组，在使用故事图片的引导写作任务期间对大脑活动进行了调查。写作任务根据难度等级进一步分为四个部分。实验组按从易到难的顺序执行任务，而对照组则随机执行任务。结果包括笔迹评估和功能磁共振成像测量。使用SPSS分析写作结果评估，使用统计参数映射（SPM）软件分析扫描图像。结果显示了与支架式教学相关的积极学习效果。实验组在写作任务中表现更好，功能磁共振成像图像显示，与对照组相比，语言处理区域的反应强度更低、更弱。功能磁共振成像结果还表明，实验组在使用英语写作时运动和认知功能有所下降。这项研究为人类写作任务期间的大脑活动提供了见解，可能对英语教学有启示意义。
