Inge Molenaar

Scaffolding of small groups’ metacognitive activities with an avatar

Metacognitive scaffolding in a computer-supported learning environment can influence students’ metacognitive activities, metacognitive knowledge and domain knowledge. In this study we analyze how metacognitive activities mediate the relationships between different avatar scaffolds on students’ learning. Multivariate, multilevel analysis of the 51,339 conversation turns by 54 elementary school students working in triads showed that scaffolding has an effect on students’ learning. Students receiving structuring or problematizing metacognitive scaffolds displayed more metacognitive knowledge than students in the control group. Metacognitive activities mediated the effects of scaffolding, and increased metacognitive activities supported students’ metacognitive knowledge. Moreover, students who were engaged in proportionately more cognitive activities or fewer off-task activities also outperformed other students on the metacognitive knowledge test. Only problematizing scaffolds led to more domain knowledge and metacognitive activities mediated the effects of the problematizing scaffolds. Moreover, students in the problematizing condition who engaged in more cognitive activities or whose group mates used more relational activities had greater domain knowledge acquisition than other students.

Teacher Dashboards in Practice: Usage and Impact

Even though the recent influx of tablets in primary education goes together with the vision that educational technologies will revolutionize education, empirical results supporting this claim are scarce. The adaptive educational technology in this research is used daily in primary classrooms and includes teacher dashboards. While students practice on the tablet, the technology displays real-time data of learner progress and performance in teacher dashboards. This study examines how teachers use the dashboards during lessons applying the Verberts’ learning analytic process model. Teacher dashboard consultations and resulting pedagogical actions were observed in mathematics lessons. In a following stimulated recall interview, a teacher was asked to elaborate on the knowledge he/she activated and his/her reasoning in interpreting the dashboard. The results indicate that teachers consult the dashboard on average 8,3 times per lesson, but great variation among teachers was found. Teachers activate existing knowledge about the class and students to interpret dashboard data. The pedagogical actions teachers take after dashboard consultation are mainly providing individual feedback and additional instruction. The results show that pedagogical actions preformed at teachers’ own initiative are mostly directed to low ability students, whereas actions after consulting the dashboard are more directed at middle and high ability students. These results indicate that extracted learning analytics, in the form of teacher dashboards are indeed influencing teachers’ pedagogical actions in daily classroom activities and may initiate behavior changes in teaching practices.

Technology-enhanced storytelling stimulating parent-child interaction and preschool children's vocabulary knowledge

Preschool childrens vocabulary mainly develops verbal through interaction. Therefore, the technology-enhanced storytelling (TES) activity Jeffys Journey is developed to support parent–child interaction and vocabulary in preschool children. TES entails shared verbal storytelling supported by a story structure and real-time visual, auditory and textual prompts on a tablet computer. In this exploratory study, we investigated how TES influenced parent–child interaction and vocabulary. An experimental pretest-intervention-posttest design was followed with 44 3-year-old children and their parents in the experimental group and 27 peers in the control group. Results revealed that TES stimulated active child involvement and generated parent–child interaction, yet a great variety in TES characteristics both in time spent and usage of prompts was found among participants. Dyads that spent more time on story phases showed more and higher quality parent–child interaction. The usage of prompts was associated with improved parent–child interaction quality. Finally, an effect of TES was evidenced on childrens productive vocabulary knowledge. To conclude, this study demonstrates that TES can be considered as a promising context for fostering parent–child interaction and childrens vocabulary development.

Dynamic computerized scaffolding of metacognitive activities in small groups

This chapter describes a new method for the computerized scaffolding of self-regulated learning in computer-based learning environments. The system works with an attention management system that registers the attentional focus of learners with the intention to adjust scaffolding to students’ current activities. As the support is related to students’ current activities, structuring scaffolds that support students’ activities and problematizing scaffolds that elicit students’ activities can both be used. We found evidence that this scaffolding system enhances group performance and students’ metacognitive knowledge. Moreover, different forms of scaffold had differential effects on learning. Problematizing scaffolds resulted in higher group performance, transfer of domain knowledge and metacognitive knowledge than structuring scaffolds. These differential effects are most likely explained by a combination of quantitative and qualitative differences in the metacognitive activities triggered by problematizing scaffolds compared with structuring scaffolds.

Different forms of scaffolding, different learning outcomes

The study examined the effects of dynamic scaffolding of metacognition on learning outcomes of students in primary schools. In an experimental study two experimental groups and one control group were compared. The experimental groups differed in the form of scaffolding used; structuring scaffolds vs. problematizing scaffolds. We analyzed the effects of dynamic scaffolding and of different forms of scaffolding on learning outcomes. The results showed a small effect of scaffolding on the group performance, no effects on declarative knowledge and a significant effect on procedural knowledge. With respect to the effects of different forms of scaffolding, we found significant effects on group performance, the procedural knowledge acquired and on transfer of knowledge.