<![CDATA[Scaffolding is a metaphor introduced by Wood, Bruner, and Ross in 1976, and it is grounded in Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development. The purpose of this review is to synthesize the existing studies’ findings to further confirm effectiveness of scaffolding-based instruction on the development of critical thinking. PRISMA was employed in this review to screen and determine the target studies to be examined. 124 studies were identified, but only 89 studies remained. After duplicate removal and abstract screening, it remains 71 full studies. All reviewed studies were retrieved through prominent databases, such as Scopus, Web of Science, ERIC, and Google Scholar. Besides, studies were analyzed using thematic coding and narrative synthesis. This review study included experimental, quasi-experimental, meta-analyses, and theoretical studies. Results showed robust evidence supporting scaffolding strategies, with 97.02% of studies reporting positive outcomes. Metacognitive scaffolding (23.94%) and collaborative scaffolding (22.54%) were the most frequently observed and effective scaffolding instructional strategies, while the hybrid scaffolding models demonstrated strong effects. Research outcome grew intensely since 2015, reaching almost 89% of all reviewed studies in this review. The findings strongly confirm that SBI significantly reinforces critical thinking skills, such as reflection, self-regulation, problem-solving, and reasoning, and this signifies that SBI is an effective instructional strategy for fostering independent and confident critical thinkers.]]>
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