Multiple modes of scaffolding to enhance web-based inquiry

This study investigated the impact of different scaffolding conditions on students who are learning science through a web-based collaborative inquiry project. This project aimed to improve domain-specific knowledge, as well as strategy use on the internet, and metacognitive awareness. Three experimental conditions (human tutor as an external regulating agent, embedded question prompts (EQP), and both forms of support) were compared with a control condition. Findings revealed that providing students with EQP and a human tutor leads to significant higher performances comparing to the other conditions. Only with regard to strategy use and regulation of cognition, EQP alone is as effective as the condition with EQP and human tutor. Providing students with only a human tutor, however, didn’t seem to provide enough help by itself, i.e. without incorporation of the embedded prompts. In this respect, our findings support the notion of multiple scaffolding as an approach to enhance web-based inquiry learning.

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