Abstract
This paper is aimed to examine the effects of scaffolding on the development of higher-order thinking skills as evidenced in the academic writing of undergraduates at tertiary levels in the university education system. A lot of empirical research so far has examined the applicability of scaffolding in acquiring writing skills; however, few of them have studied the motivational aspect of scaffolding and its impact on the acquisition of writing skills of English as foreign language (EFL) learners. This study argues both motivational and demotivational factors with respect to scaffolding. During this study, the learner's Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) in accordance with Vygotsky's principles shall also be studied to determine whether the learners in the process of writing are following teacher's implicit instructions and teachers are dealing appropriately with the deployment of scaffolding techniques. References shall be drawn from the findings of Nunan (1991) who felt a positive feedback functions as an incentive to students and fairly motivates them and those of Ellis (2008; 2010; 2012; 2013) who apprehended that a negative feedback may be "potentially dangerous" to students and can damage their receptivity to learning. The findings of the study bear evidence of how the teachers, as well as the learners, follow similar patterns in understanding the scaffolding technique in the acquisition of writing skills.