ERIC Number: EJ1133325
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017-Apr
Pages: 24
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-2211-1662
EISSN: N/A
The Effect of Highly Scaffolded versus General Instruction on Students' Exploratory Behavior and Arousal
Blikstein, Paulo; Gomes, July Silveira; Akiba, Henrique Teruo; Schneider, Bertrand
Technology, Knowledge and Learning, v22 n1 p105-128 Apr 2017
Technology is changing the way students interact with knowledge, and open-ended activities are one of the main types of tasks that students engage with in technology-rich environments. However, the amount of guidance needed to promote learning in these environments remains unknown. We explore this issue by focusing on the effects of step-by-step versus generic instructions on student's exploratory behavior and arousal levels. In this experiment, students completed three computer-based activities within a physics simulation software: building a tower, building a bridge and a free task. We did not find any effect of our experimental manipulation on students' task performance. We found, however, that detailed instruction induced higher level of activation followed by a relaxation phase and a recovery of the activation level in the last segment of the task (U-shaped curve). On the other hand, generic instructions seemed to lead students into a continuous relaxation pattern along the task (decreasing slope). Moreover, low and high-aroused students appear to be affected by the instructions differently, with high-aroused students at baseline showing less cognitive flexibility. Finally, we observed carryover effects, where types of instruction kept influencing students' levels of activation in a following open-ended task. We discuss implications of those results for designing learning activities in constructionist, technology-rich environments.
Descriptors: Teaching Methods, Educational Technology, Technology Uses in Education, Arousal Patterns, Student Behavior, Inquiry, Physics, Computer Software, Computer Simulation, Science Instruction, Science Experiments, Scaffolding (Teaching Technique), Comparative Analysis, High School Students, Grade 10, Grade 11, Grade 12, Student Surveys, Statistical Analysis
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: High Schools; Secondary Education; Grade 10; Grade 11; Grade 12
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: California
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A