A Scaffolding Design Framework for Software to Support Science Inquiry

By C. Quintana, Brian J. Reiser, Elizabeth A. Davis, Joseph Krajcik, Eric Fretz, Ravit Golan Duncan, E. Kyza, Daniel C. Edelson, Elliot Soloway. The Journal of the Learning Sciences, 2004

600 citations recorded by the source corpus.

The notion of scaffolding learners to help them succeed in solving problems otherwise too difficult for them is an important idea that has extended into the design of scaffolded software tools for learners. However, although there is a growing body of work on scaffolded tools, scaffold design, and the impact of scaffolding, the field has not yet converged on a common theoretical framework that defines rationales and approaches to guide the design of scaffolded tools. In this article, we present a scaffolding design framework addressing scaffolded software tools for science inquiry. Developed through iterative cycles of inductive and theory-based analysis, the framework synthesizes the work of prior design efforts, theoretical arguments, and empirical work in a set of guidelines that are organized around science inquiry practices and the challenges learners face in those practices. The framework can provide a basis for developing a theory of pedagogical support and a mechanism to describe successful scaffolding approaches. It can also guide design, not in a prescriptive manner but by providing designers with heuristics and examples of possible ways to address the challenges learners face.

Subfields: Computer Science Applications, Developmental and Educational Psychology

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/357bab2121c634c37db3c36caa58d7f5b9412385

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In Computer Science Applications

In Developmental and Educational Psychology

Citations in the corpus

Educative Curriculum Materials: Uptake, Impact, and Implications for Research and Design (2017, methodology): “3Building on examples in the field (e.g., Quintana et al., 2004), in our statement of each design principle, we include first a statement of the fundamental justification, based on our findings and the literature, followed by the design recommendation, followed by examples.”
Framing Creative Work: Helping Novices Frame Better Problems through Interactive Scaffolding (2021, background): “By highlighting informational components that are key to design, our approach attempts to “make the tacit explicit” [49].”
Simulation-Based Learning in Higher Education: A Meta-Analysis (2020, background): “Scaffolding enables a learner to solve problems through modifying tasks and reducing possible pathways, and through hints helping the learner to coordinate the steps in problem solving or interaction (Quintana et al., 2004), by taking over some elements of learning material (Wood et al., 1976).”