Accommodating Heterogeneity: The Interaction of Instructional Scaffolding with Student Preconditions in the Learning of Hypothesis-Based Reasoning

Hypothesis-based reasoning with conditionals is a skill that is required for engaging in integral activities of modern elementary school science-curricula. The teaching of this skill at this early stage of education, however, is demanding, particularly in whole school classes in which it is difficult to adapt teaching to children’s individual needs. We examine whether a scaffold that is static yet tailored to the context, in which the teacher explicitly models the reasoning process, manages to meet students’ individual cognitive preconditions for learning this skill. Within an inquiry-based learning setting, N = 143 third-graders underwent either an experimental condition in which they received the explicit scaffold, or a control condition in which they did not receive this specific scaffold. Employing a latent transition analysis and a general additive model, it is examined how the additional scaffold interacted with students’ prior knowledge, inhibition ability, and logical reasoning as judged by their own teachers. It is found that the additional scaffolds managed to meet the needs of students with little prior knowledge; under the control condition, students with little prior knowledge showed decreased learning achievement, whereas under the experimental condition, students with differing prior knowledge learned to comparable extent and on a higher level. The scaffolds also almost fully diminished a disadvantage for students with lower logical reasoning, and supported students with high inhibition ability in mastering the most difficult aspect of reasoning based on irrelevant evidence. Implications for science education are discussed.

Scaffolded Self-Explanation with Visual Representations Promotes Efficient Learning in Early Algebra

Although visual representations are generally beneficial for learners, past research also suggests that often only a subset of learners benefits from visual representations. In this work, we designed and evaluated anticipatory diagrammatic self- explanation, a novel form of instructional scaffolding in which visual representations are used to guide learners’ inference generation as they solve algebra problems in an Intelligent Tutoring System. We conducted a classroom experiment with 84 students in grades 5-8 in the US to investigate the effectiveness of anticipatory diagrammatic self-explanation on algebra performance and learning. The results show that anticipatory diagrammatic self-explanation benefits learners on problem-solving performance and the acquisition of formal problem-solving strategies. These effects mostly did not depend on students’ prior knowledge. We analyze and discuss how performance with the visual representation may have influenced the enhanced problem-solving performance.

The Role of Instructional Scaffolding to Facilitate Problem Solving Skills in Music Improvisation

This study aims to investigate the role of instructional scaffolding in developing problem-solving skills in melodic improvisation among beginner piano students. Three action research cycles were implemented to identify the effectiveness of scaffolding instructions. The process of measuring students’ problem-solving skills in improvisation is audio-recorded and further transcribed onto music scores in the third action research cycle for data analysis. The findings showed a positive development and improvement in the students’ problem-solving skills and filled the knowledge void for music teachers to plan and teach music improvisation progressively. These findings were helpful for music teachers to implement future musical tasks in creative activities.

EdD Graduate Perspectives: Uplifting Our Own Voices

The purpose of this essay is to share the voices of EdD graduates who are often underrepresented or missing in the literature. To begin, we invited EdD graduates to co-author this article about the connection among their EdD program experiences and interactions and their activism. We included our definition of activism and posed three open-ended questions. Six program graduates and one professor agreed to organize the graduates’ responses by the question topics and salient themes. We asked about our experiences in the EdD program and how these influence—positively and negatively—what we are doing now (post-program). We found (a) relationships with faculty and cohort mattered; (b) instructional scaffolding was vital; and (c) faculty and cohorts reflected how lived experiences cultivated a sense of belonging and collectiveness. We also asked about our interactions with peers, cohort, advisor(s), instructors, or mentors, as well as, in what ways did these interactions affect—positively and negatively—what we are doing now (post-program). Lastly, we asked, in what ways, did the EdD program affect—positively or negatively—our activism in the classroom, community, or place of employment. We found examples of how we are shifting the landscape of academia to honor more voices in research and publication, more culturally responsive to impacted communities, and challenging the status quo. We focused on our experiences and interactions in an EdD program and how these experiences and interactions prompted activism in our current practice so that having a diversity of voices not only challenge other students, regardless of their background, to think differently about who creates, produces, and defines knowledge, as well as, support faculty that say they want to expand their curriculum and instruction, yet rely on what they know or what was taught to them in their courses.

The Effectiveness of Instructional Scaffolding Strategy in the Development of Academic Achievement and Critical Thinking in Female Second Year Secondary Students in Mathematics

This study aims to find out the effectiveness of instructional scaffolding strategy in the development of academic achievement and critical thinking of female second grade secondary mathematics students. Semi-experimental and relational descriptive method was used. The sample of the study consisted of (50) students divided into an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group was taught using scaffolding strategy whereas the control group was taught using traditional method. Pre- and Post-tests were used to achieve the objective of the study. The results of the study revealed that there are statistically significant differences in the mean scores of the experimental and control groups in the posttest for both the academic achievement and critical thinking scale in favor of the experimental group. Furthermore, the findings have shown that there is a positive correlation between academic achievement and critical thinking. Based on the findings of the study, the researchers recommend curriculum designers and decision makers to integrate the scaffolding strategy in curricula and hold workshops for teachers to use scaffolding strategy in teaching mathematics.