Multi-scaffolding Environment: an Analysis of Scaffolding and Its Impact on Cognitive Load and Problem-solving Ability

A Multi-Scaffolding Environment (MSE) is a multimedia environment reliant on authentic scaffolding. We examine the impact of the availability of multiple scaffolds on learning and cognitive load within an MSE where learners are assigned a real-world task and given access to four support tools to help them complete the task. By examining an MSE in the area of geographic literacy, we explore the effectiveness of problem-based learning and whether multiple scaffolding is applicable to any content area. Quantitative and qualitative data indicate that a learner-controlled multi-scaffolding approach may be a valuable approach in problem-based learning contexts. The learner-centered approach of problem-based learning (PBL) that has been used within classrooms for over three decades is, according to Boud and Feletti (1997), “an approach to structuring the curriculum which involves confronting students with problems from practice which provide a stimulus for learning” (p. 1). As researchers have pointed out, however, the extent to which PBL actually serves as a stimulus for student learning, is sometimes limited by teachers not being comfortable with the PBL approach and thus not assuming an effective guiding role (Brush & Saye, 2001). This phenomenon has been noted in the teaching of several academic disciplines, including medicine (Mayo, Donnelly, & Schwartz, 1995), family and consumer sciences (Ward & Lee, 2002), and economics (Maxwell, Bellisimo, & Mergendoller, 2001).