Project

Scaffolding Socially Shared Metacognition

The Project
My research project has two goals;

1. Designing a dynamic computerized scaffolding system, in which the computer tracks the learning process of learners and provides scaffolds when needed.
2. Researching the effects of the scaffolding, especially of metacognitive scaffolds, on students’ metacognitive activities, learning achievements and motivation.
 

My thesis will describe the theoretical foundation and rational for the design of our attention management system used to ensure dynamic scaffolding.  For the development of the scaffolding system, we have defined a conceptual framework for dynamic scaffolding based on the attentional focus of the students (Molenaar & Roda, 2008; Molenaar, Roda, van Boxtel & Sleegers, 2010). This framework is used to develop an attention managementsystem which is integrated with the Ontdeknet e-learning system. Thisnew system is calledAtgentschool. For more information about the system, see www.atgentive.com and www.ontdeknet.nl
 
The effects of dynamic scaffolding on the learning activities and on the learning achievements of students are analyzed. Dynamic scaffolding of metacognitive activities increases the metacogntive activities of small groups both during and after scaffolding. This indicates that scaffolding increases the groups’ metacognitive skillfulness (Molenaar, van Boxtel & Sleegers, 2010).  Students receiving scaffolds acquire more metacognitive knowledge to regulate future learning (Molenaar, van Boxtel & Sleegers, 2010). Problematizing scaffolds which pose metacognitive questions also positively influence group performance and transfer of domain knowledge (Molenaar, van Boxtel & Sleegers, 2010).

Scaffolding metacognitive activities only affected the student metacogntive activities and does not influence other learning activities such as cognitive activities, social regulation, procedural regulation or off task behavior (Molenaar, Ming, van Boxtel & Sleegers, submitted). When analyzing the relation between learning activities and learning achievements, we found that students domain knowledge is increased when student perform more cognitive and metacognitive activities and when they receive more social support of other students in their group.  Students metacognitive knowledge is also increased through their own cognitive and metacognitive activities and it is negatively affect by off task behavior.

Grants
This research was supported by grants from the National Scientific Organization of the Netherlands (NWO) 411-04-102 and from the European Commission under the FP6 Framework project Atgentive IST 4-027529-STP.