Using Total Physical Response Scaffolding to Improve Oral Communication Skills in Online Contexts

This action research project studied the effect of providing interactional feedback through the use of Total Physical Response (TPR) gestures to scaffold learner’s spoken responses in an online classroom. It was meant to answer two questions: Does TPR scaffolding enhance students’ oral communication skills? Could TPR be used to scaffold learning and increase student autonomy in problem areas? This research began after noting that many of the students would simply repeat after the instructor when making mistakes without improving their pronunciation or applying the appropriate syntax or lexis when speaking. In order to provide feedback and elicit self-corrections amongst the students, gestures were incorporated as a means of scaffolding their answers. After recording five, 25-minute classes conducted with four students and transcribing these lessons, it was concluded that TPR scaffolding helped to elicit corrections, improve oral communication skills, and increase learner autonomy.