Designing Interactive Scaffolds to Support Teacher-Led Inquiry of Complex Systems Concepts

Abstract

This study examined the design of interactive scaffolds to support teacher-led inquiry into complex systems concepts. The goal was to both develop a brief instructional unit with minimal resource requirements, and to examine students' initial understanding of complex systems concepts based on this unit. Early elementary students (aged six to seven) were randomly assigned to six mixed-ability groups of five students (N=30) who participated either in a scaffolded, teacher-led inquiry session with the BeeSign simulation software or a teacher-led book reading session, both centered on honeybees collecting nectar. Statistical analysis of a direct measure and transfer measures indicated that while students in both conditions developed initial understanding of systems related concepts, those in the BeeSign inquiry condition significantly outperformed their peers. Video analyses reveal that designing the simulation around teacher-scaffolded inquiry prompts led to more student articulations of their ideas and opportunities to examine prior misconceptions.