Computer-Based Scaffolding for Sustainable Project-Based Learning: Impact on High- and Low-Achieving Students

Jun Peng, Bei Yuan, Meng Sun (), Meilin Jiang and Minhong Wang ()
Additional contact information
Jun Peng: School of Education, City University of Macau, Macau, China
Bei Yuan: Department of Education Quality Monitoring and Evaluation, Zhongshan Teacher Development Center, Zhongshan 528403, China
Meng Sun: College of Education for the Future, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai 519087, China
Meilin Jiang: School of the Science and Technology, Hong Kong Metropolitan University, Hong Kong, China
Minhong Wang: Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 19, 1-24

Abstract: Project-based learning, in which students engage in meaningful learning with authentic projects and building agency and autonomy for sustainable learning, has been increasingly promoted in higher education. However, completing an authentic project involves a complex process, which may pose challenges to many students, especially low-achievers. This study incorporated computer-based scaffolding into a project-based programming course to make complex project learning accessible to students. The scaffolding was designed based on the four-component instructional design (4C/ID) model. The results show that with the support of computer-based scaffolding, all participants maintained a high level of motivation during the course. At the end of the course, their performance was improved by 35.49% in product quality and 38.98% in subject knowledge; their programming thinking skills were improved by 20.91% in problem understanding, 21.86% in modular design, and 25.70% in process design. Despite academic achievement discrepancies among the participants at the beginning of the course, low-achievers’ post-study performance in product quality and programming thinking skills became similar to that of high-achievers, and their post-study performance in subject knowledge became similar to that of medium-achievers. The findings reveal the promising role of computer-based scaffolding in making complex learning with real-world projects accomplishable by a wide range of students and reducing the gaps between high- and low-achieving students.

Keywords: project-based learning; sustainable learning; computer-based scaffolding; low-achieving students; computer programming (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/19/12907/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/19/12907/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:19:p:12907-:d:937805

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().