Adaptable scaffolding of mathematical argumentation skills: The role of self-regulation when scaffolded with CSCL scripts and heuristic worked examples

Collaboration scripts and heuristic worked examples have been described as powerful scaffolds to support skill acquisition in CSCL. While CSCL scripts particularly facilitate argumentative discourse within groups, heuristic worked examples provide heuristics and worked out pathways to solve domain-specific tasks. Yet, both scripts and heuristic worked examples are often designed in a one-size-fits-all fashion. Granting learners the opportunity to adapt these scaffolds to their self-perceived needs might be a way to further enhance their effects. We tested this assumption in two experiments. In experiment 1, we compared the effects of learning with adaptable and non-adaptable CSCL scripts. In experiment 2, we compared the effects of learning with adaptable and non-adaptable heuristic worked examples. University students (N = 167) learned repeatedly in pairs with either adaptable or non-adaptable scaffolding in the context of mathematical conjecture problems. Results show that adaptable CSCL scripts were partly helpful for students with higher levels of self-regulation skills. Non-adaptable maximal scaffolding supported learning of distinctive skill components. Social-discursive components were best facilitated by maximal heuristic worked examples through content knowledge scaffolds. In contrast, CSCL scripts best facilitated domain-specific skill components by scaffolding learners’ engagement in social discourse about domain knowledge. The study provides recommendations for designing adaptable scaffolding by taking into account the relation between the targeted skill component and the activities scaffolded in the learning process. We suggest conducting future studies on adaptable scaffolding with a focus on supporting learning regulation and group awareness to improve learners’ success in CSCL environments

Adapting and personalizing the communication in a synchronous communication tool

In this paper, we present a synchronous text-based communication tool, referred to as Adaptive Communication Tool (ACT), which provides capabilities for adaptation and personalization. ACT supports both the free and the structured form of dialogue. The structured dialogue is implemented by two types of Scaffolding Sentence Templates (SST); i.e. sentence openers or communicative acts. The capability of adaptation is considered in the sense of making suggestions for the supported form of dialogue and SST type and providing the most meaningful and complete set of SST with respect to the learning outcomes addressed by the collaborative learning activity and the model of collaboration followed by the group members. Also, ACT enables learners to have control on the adaptation by selecting the form of dialogue and the SST type they prefer to use and enriching the provided SST set with their own ones in order to cover their communication needs. The results from the formative evaluation of the tool showed that (i) the proposed dialogue form, SST type and the provided set of SST cover students' communication needs, (ii) the capability of personalizing the communication by selecting the desired communication means as well as by enriching the provided SST set satisfied students, and (iii) students used adequately both types of SST resulting into on-task and coherent dialogues. © 2007 Blackwell Publishing Ltd