Examining Coordinated Computer-Based Fixed and Adaptive Scaffolds in Collaborative Problem-Solving Game Environments

The study aims to examine the effectiveness of the coordinated computer-based scaffolds mediating students' collaborative problem-solving (CPS) practices and science learning.24 students in six groups participated in CPS activities related to middle school life science, conducted in a scaffolded collaborative game.We analyzed their CPS practices during 31 collaborative periods across three quests using latent profile analysis, chi-square tests, and interaction analysis.We found certain clusters associated with higher-performing groups and patterns of their CPS engagement.Furthermore, we found that these CPS engagement patterns linked to higher performance were synergistically mediated by the coordination of fixed and adaptive scaffolds.The study also discusses implications and outlines future research directions.