Influence of different scaffolding strategies for engaging secondary students in scientific practices

Abstract

This paper examines the adequacy of different teaching strategies to scaffold students’ engagement in scientific practices. The participants are two secondary teachers and their respective groups of 9th grade students attending Physics and Chemistry. The task requires students to investigate the effectiveness of two toothpastes to prevent cavities. For the analysis we examine the discourse of both teachers during the implementation of the task and we code their interventions according to a framework for scaffolding strategies developed by Van de Pol, Volman and Beishuizen (2010). The results point to differences in the strategies employed by the teachers, which affect to students’ performances for planning and carrying out investigations.