School Personnel

Impact of Scaffolding Characteristics and Study Quality on Learner Outcomes in STEM Education: A Meta-analysis

Principal Investigator:

Project Overview

Background & Purpose:

This two-year synthesis project uses meta-analysis to determine the influence of scaffold characteristics, study and assessment instrument quality, and assessment type on cognitive outcomes in K-Adult STEM education. By synthesizing what is known about scaffolding in STEM education, this project can help researchers determine the most promising scaffolding strategies to integrate into STEM education. In turn, by integrating the most effective scaffolding strategies into STEM education, researchers can enhance the problem solving abilities and deep understanding of the STEM workforce.

Research Design:

The project team will search widely for empirical articles on scaffolding and scaffolding-related interventions throughout STEM disciplines, code articles that meet inclusion criteria, and analyze the data to determine average magnitudes of effects associated with coded characteristics. Such techniques as conversion to Hedge's G, meta-regression, and weighted standard errors, will be used.

Findings:

Findings will be posted as they become available. A scaffolding research database will be made with key coding characteristics and effect size calculations.

On the Web:

http://itls.usu.edu/~bbelland/grants/reese.php

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State:

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