Customized Scaffolding for Preservice Teachers' Problem Solving in STEM

• In Event: Technology, Instruction, Cognition and Learning SIG: Learning With Technology

Abstract

This paper explores customized scaffolding for pre-service teachers’ problem-solving in technology and engineering discipline. We used clustering analysis to discover natural groupings of scaffolding characteristics which were used in 144 computer-based scaffolding studies from the previous meta-analysis. We first selected input variables based on our research questions which include different scaffolding characteristics, context of use, education level, and effect size. Next, using a two-step clustering algorithm, we found four clusters based on the predominant scaffolding characteristics and profiled each cluster in terms of scaffolding characteristics and their context of use. The resulting cluster solutions indicate what combination of scaffolding characteristics used in different types of problem-centered learning context would be effective for pre-service teachers’ technology- and engineering-related problem-solving.

Authors

• Brian R. Belland, The Pennsylvania State University

• ChanMin Kim, Pennsylvania State University

• Eunseo Lee, The Pennsylvania State University

• Yinqi Zhang, The Pennsylvania State University