Designing and Implementing Web-based Scaffolding Tools for Technology-enhanced Socioscientific Inquiry

This study explores how web-based scaffolding tools provide instructional support while implementing a socio-scientific inquiry (SSI) unit in a science classroom. This case study focused on how students used web-based scaffolding tools during SSI activities, and how students perceived the SSI unit and the scaffolding tools embedded in the SSI activities. A web-based SSI unit was developed and utilized in a technology-enhanced science classroom, and included three types of embedded annotations (definition, background information, thinking questions). The findings of this study suggest that students benefitted from web-based annotated scaffoldings in their individual reading and group discussions. The effective use of hard scaffolding may have contributed positively to students’ engagement in the SSI activities and allowed students to easily explore a variety of context-related hyperlinked resources. In addition, the hard scaffolding tools allowed the teacher greater flexibility to effectively monitor students’ learning progress, evaluate students’ understanding of the topic, and provide guidance as needed through questioning. A holistic and dynamic approach is recommended when teachers and instructional designers consider how web-based hard scaffolding tools might function to assist students’ learning in SSI.