The Effect of Highly Scaffolded Versus General Instruction on Students’ Exploratory Behavior and Arousal

• Published in: Technology, knowledge and learning Vol. 22; no. 1; pp. 105 - 128
• Main Authors: Blikstein, Paulo, Gomes, July Silveira, Akiba, Henrique Teruo, Schneider, Bertrand
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.04.2017; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Active Learning; Arousal Patterns; Behavior; Classrooms; Comparative Analysis; Computer Simulation; Computer Software; Creativity and Arts Education; Education; Educational Technology; Exploitation; Grade 10; Grade 11; Grade 12; High School Students; Inquiry; Inquiry method; Learning activities; Learning and Instruction; Mathematics Education; Original Research; Pedagogy; Physics; Scaffolding (Teaching Technique); Science Education; Science Experiments; Science Instruction; Statistical Analysis; Student Behavior; Student Surveys; Students; Teaching Methods; Technology; Technology Uses in Education; California; Brazil; Exploration; Inquiry learning; Constructionism; Galvanic skin response; Biosensing
• ISSN: 2211-1662; 2211-1670
• DOI: 10.1007/s10758-016-9291-y

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.