Abstract
Scaffolding has proven an especially interesting and promising area for postsecondary teaching and learning practices. Particular interest has emerged in scaffolding student learning in technology-enhanced environments—especially those designed to promote critical thinking. This study examined participant perceptions and use of scaffolding in an online course focused on facilitating the development of critical thinking in instructional design. Findings indicated that use of scaffolding evolved from externally directed to internally relevant assimilation. The realization of personal utility emerged as the most prominent trigger for both improved learner perceptions and scaffolding use. Research and practical implications for the design of scaffolding are provided.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Applebee, A.N., & Langer, J.A. (1983). Instructional scaffolding: Reading and writing as natural language activities.Language Arts, 60(2), 168–175.
Bacig, T.D., Evans, R.A., & Larmouth, D.W. (1991). Computer-assisted instruction in critical thinking and writing: A process/model approach.Research in the Teaching of English, 25(3), 365–382.
Barnett, R. (1990).The idea of higher education. Buckingham, England: SRHE and Open University Press.
Beyer, B.K. (1997).Improving student thinking: A comprehensive approach. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Bliss, J., Askew, M., & Macrae, S. (1996). Effective teaching and learning: Scaffolding revisited.Oxford Review of Education, 22(1), 37–61.
Bogdan, R.C., & Biklen, S.K. (1992).Qualitative research in education: An introduction to theory and methods. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
Bonk, C.J., Angeli, C., Malikowski, S.R., & Supplee, L. (2001). Holy COW: Scaffolding Case Based Conferencing on the Web with Preservice Teachers.Ed at a Distance.
Briggs, L.J. (Ed.). (1977).Instructional design: Principles and applications. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology Publications.
Brockbank, A., & McGill, I. (1998).Facilitating reflective learning in higher education Suffolk, Great Britain: SRHE and Open University Press.
Brookfield, S.D. (1986).Developing critical thinkers: Challenging adults to explore alternative ways of thinking and acting. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Brown, J.S. (2000). Growing up digital.Journal of the United States Distance Learning Association, 16(2), Retrieved January 21, 2004, from http://www.usdla.org/html/ journal/FEB02_Issue/article01.html
Bruner, J.S. (1981). The organization of action and the nature of adult-infant transaction. In G. d’Ydewalle & W. Lens (Eds.),Cognition in human motivation and learning (pp. 1–14). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Inc.
Bullen, M. (1998). Participation and critical thinking in online university distance education.Journal of Distance Education, 13(2), 1–32.
Cho, K-L., & Jonassen, D.H. (2002). The effects of argumentation scaffolds on argumentation and problem solving.Educational Technology Research and Development, 50(3), 5–22.
DeLoach, S.B., & Greenlaw, S.A. (1999).Critical thinking and electronic discussions in upper-level economic courses. Retrieved September 21, 2004, from http:/ /users.mwc.edu/%7Esgreenla/paper1R.htm
Dick, W., & Carey, L. (1985).The systematic design of instruction Glenview, IL: Scott, Foresman and Company.
Ennis, R. (1985a).Goals for a critical thinking/reasoning curriculum Champaign, IL: Illinois Critical Thinking Project, University of Illinois.
Ennis, R. (1985b). A logical basis for measuring critical thinking skills.Educational Leadership, 43(2), 44–48.
Ennis, R.H. (1987). A taxonomy of critical thinking dispositions and abilities. In J.B. Baron & R.J. Sternberg (Eds.),Teaching thinking skills: Theory and practice (pp. 9–26). New York: W.H. Freeman & Co.
Fisher, A., & Scriven, M. (1997).Critical thinking: Its definition and assessment Point Reyes, CA: Edgepress.
Garrison, D.R., Anderson, T., & Archer, W. (2001). Critical thinking, cognitive presence, and computer conferencing in distance education.American Journal of Distance Education, 15(1), 7–23.
Ge, X., & Land, S.M. (2003). Scaffolding students’ problem-solving processes in an ill-structured task using question prompts and peer interactions.Educational Technology Research and Development, 51(1), 21–38.
Hadwin, A.F., & Winne, P.H. (2001). CoNoteS2: A software tool for promoting self-regulation and collaboration.Educational Research and Evaluation: An International Journal on Theory and Practice, 7(2–3), 313–334.
Herrington, J., & Oliver, R. (1999). Using situated learning and multimedia to investigate higher-order thinking.Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 8(4), 401–421.
Hogan, K., & Pressley, M. (1997). Scaffolding scientific competencies within classroom communities of inquiry. In K. Hogan & M. Pressley (Eds.),Scaffolding student learning: Instructional approaches and issues (pp. 74–107). Cambridge, MA: Brookline Books.
Hunkins, F.P. (1995).Teaching thinking through effective questioning (2nd ed.). Norwood, MA: Christopher-Gordon Publishers, Inc.
Kao, M.T., & Lehman, J.D. (1997).Scaffolding in a computer-based constructivist environment for teaching statistics to college learners. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL.
Kuhn, D. (1999). A developmental model of critical thinking.Educational Researcher, 28(2), 16–26.
Lepper, M.R., Drake, M.F., & O’Donnell-Johnson, T. (1997). Scaffolding techniques of expert human tutors. In K. Hogan & M. Pressley (Eds.),Scaffolding student learning: Instructional Approaches and Issues (pp. 108–144). Cambridge, MA: Brookline Books.
Lin, X., Hmelo, C., Kinzer, C.K., & Secules, T.J. (1999). Designing technology to support reflection.Educational Technology Research and Development, 47(3), 43–62.
Lipman, M. (1991).Thinking in education Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press.
McLoughlin, C. (1999).Scaffolding: Applications to Learning in Technology Supported Environments. World Conference on Education Multimedia, Hypermedia, and Telecommunication (1826–1831). Retrieved September 27, 2004, from http:// dl.aace.org/4751.
McPeck, J. (1981).Critical thinking and education New York: St. Martin’s Press.
Paul, R. (1990).Critical thinking: What every person needs to survive in a rapidly changing world Rohnert Park, CA: Center for Critical Thinking and Moral Critique, Sonoma State University.
Paul, R. (1993).Critical thinking: How to prepare students for a rapidly changing world Santa Rosa, CA: Foundation for Critical Thinking.
Perkins, D.N. (1986). Thinking frames: An integrative perspective on teaching cognitive skills. In J.B. Baron & R.S. Sternberg (Eds.),Teaching thinking skills: Theory and practice (pp. 41–61). New York: W.H. Freeman.
Perkins, D.N., Farady, M., & Bushey, B. (1991). Everyday reasoning and the roots of intelligence. In J.F. Voss, D.N. Perkins & J.W. Segal (Eds.),Informal reasoning and education (pp. 83–105). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
Rogoff, B. (1998). Cognition as a collaborative process. In D. Kuhn & R. Siegler (Eds.),Handbook of child psychology: Vol. 2. Cognition, language, and perception (5th ed., pp. 679–744). New York: Wiley.
Rogoff, B., & Wertsch, J.V. (1984).Children’s learning in the “zone of proximal development.” San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Saxe, G.B., Gearhart, M., & Guberman, S R. (1984). The social organization of early number development. In B. Rogoff & J.V. Wertsch (Eds.),Children’s learning in the “Zone of Proximal Development” (Vol. 23, pp. 19–30). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Schoenfeld, A.H. (1991). On mathematics as sense-making: An informal attack on the unfortunate divorce of formal and informal mathematics. In J.F. Voss, D.N. Perkins & J.W. Segal (Eds.),Informal reasoning and education (pp. 311–344). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
Shabo, A., Guzdial, M., & Stasko, J. (1997). An apprenticeship-based multimedia courseware for computer graphics studies provided on the World Wide Web.Computers & Education, 29(2–3), 103–116.
Slotta, J.D., & Linn, M.C. (2000). The Knowledge Integration Environment: Helping students use the Internet effectively. In M.J. Jacobson & R.B. Kozma (Eds.),Innovations in science and mathematics education: advanced designs for technologies of learning (pp. 193–226). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
Smith, P., & Ragan, T. (1993).Instructional design New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
Tharp, R.G., & Gallimore, R. (1988).Rousing minds to life New York: Cambridge University Press.
Tharp, R.G., & Gallimore, R. (1991). A theory of teaching as assisted performance. In P. Light, S. Sheldon, & M. Woodhead (Eds.),Learning to think (pp. 42–62). London and New York: Routledge and The Open University.
Vygotsky, L.S. (1978).Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Wertsch, J.V. (1984). The zone of proximal development: Some conceptual issues. In B. Rogoff & J.V. Wertsch (Eds.),Children’s learning in the “zone of proximal development” (Vol. 23, pp. 7–18). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Wood, D., Bruner, J.S., & Ross, G. (1976). The role of tutoring in problem solving.Journal of Child Psychology & Psychiatry & Allied Disciplines, 17(2), 89–100.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sharma, P., Hannafin, M. Learner perceptions of scaffolding in supporting critical thinking. J. Comput. High. Educ. 17, 17–42 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02960225
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02960225