"Stop and Think": Scaffolding That Supports Young Children's Self-Regulated Learning

• In Event: Cognition and Motivation During Childhood

Abstract

Autonomy-supportive scaffolding supports children’s problem-solving, by giving them just enough adult guidance to encourage active child participation. Some studies have found correlations between autonomy-supportive scaffolding and children’s self-regulated learning, learning that is strategic and self-reflective. Yet there is little experimental evidence demonstrating a causal relationship between autonomy-supportive scaffolding and self-regulated learning in early childhood. In an experimental study, children were either given autonomy-supportive scaffolding, or scaffolding that resembled teachers in time-pressured classrooms. Children who received autonomy-supportive scaffolding recalled more autonomy-supportive language and self-regulated learning strategies on a post-test, and showed a trend towards greater persistence on a challenging task. These results fill a gap in existing research, and have significant implications for classroom teaching.

Authors

• Audrey Kittredge

• Krishna Kulkarni, University of Cambridge

• Natalie Day, University of Cambridge

• Sara Baker, University of Cambridge