Patterns of contingency and non-contingency in teacher–student scaffolding interactions: A case of novice and experienced language teachers

Teacher contingency, in which teachers adapt their support to the learner's level of understanding is assumed to be the distinguishing characteristic of scaffolding. Yet, classroom studies on the topic scarcely exist. The current study examined the process of contingency in classroom settings. Three novice and three experienced English language teachers were video-recorded to compile a 9-h corpus. The model of contingent teaching was used to code the different stages of scaffolding. Conversation analysis was applied to provide an emic perspective of each stage. The results indicated different contingent and non-contingent teaching patterns for novice and experienced teachers. The non-contingent teaching of novice teachers was characterized by skipping the diagnosis stage, failing to adapt the support to the learners' level of understanding by using high-support moves, and failing to check learners' understanding. The experienced teachers mainly diagnosed their learners' understanding, checked their diagnosis, and used a wider array of strategies to provide interventions. Their non-contingent teaching stemmed from maladjustment of support to their learners' level of understanding. The implications for theory and practice are then discussed.