Distributed Cognition as a Lens to Understand the Effects of Scaffolds: The Role of Transfer of Responsibility

Brian R. Belland

Educational Psychology Review Vol. 23, No. 4 (December 2011) pp. 577–600

Problem solving is an important skill in the knowledge economy. Research indicates that the development of problem solving skills works better in the context of instructional approaches centered on real-world problems. But students need scaffolding...

Portraits of Middle School Students Constructing Evidence-Based Arguments during Problem-Based Learning: The Impact of Computer-Based Scaffolds

Brian R. Belland

Educational Technology Research and Development Vol. 58, No. 3 (June 2010) pp. 285–309

A critical step in problem-based learning (PBL) units occurs when groups present their solution to the central problem. This is challenging for middle school students because it involves the creation of an evidence-based argument (Krajcik et al., ...

Developing My Perspectives on Scaffolding and Problem-Based Learning: A Retrospective View

Brian R. Belland

Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-based Learning Vol. 10, No. 2 (2016)

In this paper, I describe the iterative development of my perspectives on scaffolding and problem-based learning through interactions with other scholars and research. Such influences include doctoral experiences, funded projects, and exposures to...

Using the theory of habitus to move beyond the study of barriers to technology integration

Brian R. Belland

Computers & Education Vol. 52, No. 2 (February 2009) pp. 353–364

The integration of technology by K-12 teachers was promoted to aid the shift to a more student-centered classroom (e.g., Roblyer, M. D., & Edwards, J. (2000). Integrating educational technology into teaching (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ:...

Language: English

Topics: Integration

Toward a Framework on How Affordances and Motives Can Drive Different Uses of Scaffolds: Theory, Evidence, and Design Implications

Brian R. Belland; Joel Drake

Educational Technology Research and Development Vol. 61, No. 6 (December 2013) pp. 903–925

One way to help students engage in higher-order thinking is through scaffolding, which can be defined as support that allows students to participate meaningfully in and gain skill at a task that is beyond their unassisted abilities. Most research on ...

A Conceptual Framework for Organizing Active Learning Experiences in Biology Instruction

Joel Gardner; Brian R. Belland

Journal of Science Education and Technology Vol. 21, No. 4 (August 2012) pp. 465–475

Introductory biology courses form a cornerstone of undergraduate instruction. However, the predominantly used lecture approach fails to produce higher-order biology learning. Research shows that active learning strategies can increase student...

A Blended Professional Development Program to Help a Teacher Learn to Provide One-to-One Scaffolding

Brian R. Belland; Ryan Burdo; Jiangyue Gu

Journal of Science Teacher Education Vol. 26, No. 3 (April 2015) pp. 263–289

Argumentation is central to instruction centered on socio-scientific issues (Sadler & Donnelly in "International Journal of Science Education," 28(12), 1463-1488, 2006. doi: 10.1080/09500690600708717). Teachers can play a big role in...

PBL Group Autonomy in a High School Environmental Science Class

D. Mark Weiss; Brian R. Belland

Technology, Knowledge and Learning Vol. 23, No. 1 (2018) pp. 83–107

With increasing class sizes, teachers and facilitators alike hope for learning groups where students work together in self-contained and autonomous ways requiring reduced teacher support. Yet many instructors find the idea of developing independent...

An Exploratory Study of Adult Learners' Perceptions of Online Learning: Minority Students in Continuing Education

Yu-Chun Kuo; Brian R. Belland

Educational Technology Research and Development Vol. 64, No. 4 (2016) pp. 661–680

The study was an investigation of online adult learners' perceptions of interaction, satisfaction, and performance within an online course using the Blackboard platform. Interaction included learners' interaction with the instructor, content, and...

Scaffolding Argumentation about Water Quality: A Mixed-Method Study in a Rural Middle School

Brian R. Belland; Jiangyue Gu; Sara Armbrust; Brant Cook

Educational Technology Research and Development Vol. 63, No. 3 (June 2015) pp. 325–353

A common way for students to develop scientific argumentation abilities is through argumentation about socioscientific issues, defined as scientific problems with social, ethical, and moral aspects. Computer-based scaffolding can support students in ...

A Scaffolding Framework to Support the Construction of Evidence-Based Arguments among Middle School Students

Brian R. Belland; Krista D. Glazewski; Jennifer C. Richardson

Educational Technology Research and Development Vol. 56, No. 4 (August 2008) pp. 401–422

Problem-based learning (PBL) is an instructional approach in which students in small groups engage in an authentic, ill-structured problem, and must (1) define, generate and pursue learning issues to understand the problem, (2) develop a possible...

A Framework for Designing Scaffolds that Improve Motivation and Cognition

Brian R. Belland; ChanMin Kim; Michael J. Hannafin

Educational Psychologist Vol. 48, No. 4 (2013) pp. 243–270

A problematic, yet common, assumption among educational researchers is that when teachers provide authentic, problem-based experiences, students will automatically be engaged. Evidence indicates that this is often not the case. In this article, we...

Topics: Cognition

Perceptions of the Value of Problem-Based Learning among Students with Special Needs and Their Teachers

Brian R. Belland; Peggy A. Ertmer; Krista D. Simons

Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-based Learning Vol. 1, No. 2 (2006) pp. 1–18

While problem-based learning (PBL) has been found to be effective with gifted and average students (Hmelo-Silver, 2004), little is known about its impact on students with special needs. This study examines the perceptions of middle-school students...

Problem-Based Learning and Argumentation: Testing a Scaffolding Framework to Support Middle School Students' Creation of Evidence-Based Arguments

Brian R. Belland; Krista D. Glazewski; Jennifer C. Richardson

Instructional Science: An International Journal of the Learning Sciences Vol. 39, No. 5 (September 2011) pp. 667–694

Students engaged in problem-based learning (PBL) units solve ill-structured problems in small groups, and then present arguments in support of their solution. However, middle school students often struggle developing evidence-based arguments ...

An Ethnomethodological Perspective on How Middle School Students Addressed a Water Quality Problem

Brian R. Belland; Jiangyue Gu; Nam Ju Kim; David J. Turner

Educational Technology Research and Development Vol. 64, No. 6 (2016) pp. 1135–1161

Science educators increasingly call for students to address authentic scientific problems in science class. One form of authentic science problem--socioscientific issue--requires that students engage in complex reasoning by considering both...

A Pilot Meta-Analysis of Computer-Based Scaffolding in STEM Education

Brian R. Belland; Andrew E. Walker; Megan Whitney Olsen; Heather Leary

Journal of Educational Technology & Society Vol. 18, No. 1 pp. 183–197

This paper employs meta-analysis to determine the influence of computer-based scaffolding characteristics and study and test score quality on cognitive outcomes in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education at the secondary, college,...

K-12 Teachers' Perceptions of and Their Satisfaction with Interaction Type in Blended Learning Environments

Yu-Chun Kuo; Brian R. Belland; Kerstin E. E. Schroder; Andrew E. Walker

Distance Education Vol. 35, No. 3 (2014) pp. 360–381

Blended learning is an effective approach to instruction that combines features of face-to-face learning and computer-mediated learning. This study investigated the relationship between student perceptions of three types of interaction and blended...

Interaction, Internet self-efficacy, and self-regulated learning as predictors of student satisfaction in online education courses

Yu-Chun Kuo; Andrew E. Walker; Kerstin E.E. Schroder; Brian R. Belland

Internet and Higher Education Vol. 20, No. 1 (January 2014) pp. 35–50

Student satisfaction is important in the evaluation of distance education courses as it is related to the quality of online programs and student performance. Interaction is a critical indicator of student satisfaction; however, its impact has not...

Language: English