Scaffolds can be defined as tools that help students meaningfully participate in and gain skill at tasks that are beyond their unassisted abilities. However, the term scaffold is often used a theoretically, resulting in poor understanding of how and why students use computer-based scaffolds. In this paper, we reconnect the term scaffold to the socio-cultural theory that under girds it and use that theory to explain how students use computer-based scaffolds. In particular, we examine the idea that affordances and motives drive student use of scaffolds. This framework has important implications for instructional design and scaffold research.
['Brian R. Belland', 'Joel Drake', 'Zhiying Liu']
The Role of Affordances and Motives in Explaining How and Why Students Use Computer-based Scaffolds