How Does Learners' Utilization of Self-Designed Scaffolds Influence Their Self-Regulated Learning With Digital Media?

• In Event: Meaningful Scaffolds to Foster Learning in Interactive Learning Settings

Abstract

Objectives
This paper investigates the impact of self-designed scaffolds in self-regulated learning (SRL) with digital media. Furthermore, we explore how differences in learners’ utilization of scaffolds affects the learning outcomes. We aim at understanding the SRL process and how scaffolds can be improved to better support learners.

Theoretical framework
Learners often struggle in SRL settings (Winne, 2011). One approach to address these difficulties are scaffolds that are hypothesized to support learners to use metacognitive learning strategies they know but do not apply (i.e. production deficit, Hasselhorn, 1995). Metacognitive scaffolding helps learners in SRL and improves learning (e.g. Azevedo & Hadwin, 2005; Bannert & Mengelkamp, 2013). Moreover, by letting learners design their own scaffolds, the learners can adapt the scaffolds to their own needs and potentially improve their utilization of the scaffolds.
So far, little is known about the learning processes during SRL with self-designed scaffolds and how the learners’ utilization of the scaffolds affects learning outcomes. Hence, this study was led by the following research questions: To what extent do self-designed scaffolds affect learning and how do does the learners’ utilization of scaffolds affect the learning outcome?

Method and materials
We conducted an experimental study with a between-subject design. Participants in the experimental condition (n = 28) learned with scaffolds, participants in the control condition (n = 29) learned without scaffolds. The scaffolds were present in form of prompts during the learning phase. All participants (undergraduate students, age: Mage = 19.9 years, SD = 1.58; 72% female) learned in a hypermedia learning environment for 40 minutes, while thinking aloud. Based on verbal protocols, two independent raters coded whether the learners utilized scaffolds as a prompt to reflect about current (meta-) cognitive activities or as a prompt to enact new (meta-) cognitive activities (κ = .78). Recall, comprehension, and transfer performance were tested in a post-test.

Results
The scaffolds positively affected comprehension performance (MEG = 16.93, SDEG = 2.58 and MCG = 15.38, SDCG = 3.68; t50.29= 1.85, p = 0.036, d = 0.49) but no other learning outcomes. Moreover, learners who utilized the prompts rather as reflection tool showed descriptively a higher transfer performance (M = 21.95, SD = 1.97) compared to learners using the prompt as call to action (M = 18.92, SD = 4.68), t15.04= 2.06, p = 0.057, d = 0.84.

Scientific significance
This study shed light on the effect and utilization of self-designed scaffolds that can successfully foster some aspects of knowledge acquisition. Moreover, the explorative analysis based on coding verbal protocols revealed that the utilization of scaffolds varied substantially. These results raises the questions, whether the self-designed scaffolds actually address a production deficit and whether the learners might not have been able to fit the self-designed scaffolds to their needs. If the assumption of a production deficit regarding metacognitive strategies in SRL is wrong, other kinds of instructional support might be more effective in supporting learners.

Authors

• Katharina Engelmann, Technical University of Munich

• Markus Hörmann, Technical University of Munich

• Maria A. Bannert, Technical University of Munich