@2024 Afarand., IRAN

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ISSN: 2228-5468    Education Strategies in Medical Sciences 2014;7(5):345-352

Background
… [1] Scaffolding is the interaction between an expert and a novice in the difficulty-solving environment and while it is appropriate to the current and potential growth levels of the learner, it will be useful [2]. Scaffolding has been related to Vygotsky’s concept of zone of proximal development [3]. … [4] The gradual elimination of support is the common feature of scaffolding. The support elimination techniques help the learners to ensure that they are able to master the essential skills. In addition, it enhances independence in learning [5]. … [6-10] Metacognitive skills, motivational level of progress, and prior knowledge of the learner are some of the crucial variables that affects the person’s learning and performance [11]. … [12]
Previous Studies
Based on the learner’s characteristics including prior knowledge, metacognitive skills, the learner’s motivational situation, and the learning environment, no instructional scaffolding strategy has yet been presented and most of the studies have been limited to a specific categorization and its effectiveness.
Aim(s)
The aim of this study was to assess the instructional scaffolding strategies and to compile the instructional scaffolding framework in the difficulty-solving learning environment.
Research type
This is a mixed study including qualitative and quantitative sections. Qualitative content analysis was used deductively in the qualitative section [13]. Survey research method was used in the quantitative section.
Research society, place and time
Non-declared
Sampling method and number
In both sections, the sampling method was purposeful. 47 articles were consistent with the criteria of the research. Experts of Educational Sciences at least with an MSc educational level, who had written articles about their field of study, were studied. 20 experts of instructional support in the learning environment were selected using simple random method.
Used devices&materials
In content analysis, the sources were assessed systematically at first. Accordingly, databases that included more and the most reliable professional articles in the Educational Sciences and Psychology in share were selected at first. The databases were Proquest, Springer, Science Direct, Emerald, EBSCO, and Sage. The databases were searched using definite keywords such as instructional support, instructional protection, learning environment, problem-solving, difficulty-solving, instructional multimedia, instructional scaffold, instructional scaffolding, and instructional assistant tools. 422 articles were searched. Articles that had no relation to the topic or had a secondary relation, review or report articles, and articles without a specific scientific methodology (qualitative, quantitative, or mixed) were excluded. Articles that had assessed instructional scaffolding in the problem-solving, difficulty-solving, problem-centered, and problem-based or difficulty-based learning environments or generally in the exploratory learning environment were included. 47 articles were consistent with the criteria of the study. The survey research method was used to validate the proposed model. To this end, the model was assessed by the experts. Validity of the questionnaire was assessed, based on the experts’ viewpoints. Its reliability was assessed via test-retest method. Regarding limited number of the experts (20 persons) and questions of the questionnaire, the test-retest method was used to determine the reliability. The researcher-made tool was assessed by 5 experts and its validity was confirmed. To assess the reliability, the answers of 20 educational sciences experts were collected. The questionnaire was sent to the experts after one week and the correlation between the primary test and the second time test was assessed. Pearson Correlation Coefficient was used to determine the reliability of two tests. After the definitions and the references of the concepts had been determined and had been coded in the final selected articles, every type of the scaffolding methods (metacognitive, cognitive, procedural, contextual, and motivational) were analyzed based on the learners’ characteristics categories (including metacognitive skills, motivations, and prior knowledge of the learners) and the difficulty-solving learning environment. According to the results, based on the learners’ metacognitive skills, based on the motivational level of the learner’s educational progress, and based on the learner’s prior knowledge, the favorable instructional scaffolding required the utilization of the metacognitive scaffolding, motivational scaffolding, and cognitive scaffolding, respectively. 5, 3, and 6 strategies were identified for metacognitive, motivational, and cognitive scaffolding, respectively. Based on the difficulty-solving learning environments, the favorable instructional scaffolding required the utilization of cognitive and metacognitive scaffoldings and 8 strategies were obtained (Table 1). The data were combined to form the proposed model. Validity of the proposed model was confirmed based on the viewpoints of 20 educational technology experts. Data was analyzed using SPSS 18 software.
Findings by Text
12-question questionnaire (including 6 questions about the whole framework and 6 questions about its components) was designed and compiled to validate the framework of the proposed strategies. In general, the experts assessed the proposed framework positively. The question related to the instructional scaffolding strategies for unstructured difficulty-solving learning environments (Question No. 7) received the lowest score. The question related to the effectiveness of the framework in the computer-based learning environments (Question No. 11) received the highest score (Table 2).
Main comparison to the similar studies
… [14-23] Through proposing a series of questions, it is possible to guide the learner in the difficulty-solving procedure [24]. The result is consistent with the results of the present study.
Suggestions
The proposed framework should be used to design and compile the computer-based instruction and real (face-to-face) educations.
Limitations
No access to databases for a long time was one of the limitations for the present study.
Conclusions
Favorable scaffolding strategies in designing learning environments should be compiled. Therefore, the learning environment designers should consider the learner’s characteristics, such as metacognitive skills, prior knowledge situation, and the motivational level of progress, and the specific characteristics of the learning environment, to select favorable instructional scaffolding strategies and to use them appropriate to each stage of the model.
Acknowledgments
The researchers feel grateful to the experts who determined validity and reliability of the research tool and validate the proposed model.
Conflict of interest
Non-declared
Ethical Permissions
Non-declared
Funding Sources
Non-declared

TABLES and CHARTS

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