The impacts of scaffolding e-assessment English learning: a cognitive style perspective

Abstract

We developed the Scaffolding English E-assessment Learning (SEEL), where instant feedback and scaffolding hints were provided, to facilitate students to acquire the knowledge of English grammar. On the other hand, an empirical study was conducted to investigate how cognitive styles (i.e. Holists vs. Serialists) affected learners’ reactions to the SEEL, including learning performance, learning perception and learning behavior. The results indicated that Holists and Serialists demonstrated similar learning perception. Nevertheless, they showed different learning behavior, which corresponded to the characteristics of their cognitive styles. Additionally, Holists obtained better post-test scores and gain scores than Serialists. This might be because Holists could make the best use of various hints and benefit from feedback provided by the SEEL while Serialists needed additional support. The findings could provide guidance for incorporating personalization into the SEEL so that the needs and preferences of Holists and Serialists could be accommodated. Nevertheless, such findings are correlational in nature and, we, thus, leave open questions concerning causality. Implications for instructional design are also discussed in this study.

Keywords:

• Cognitive style
• scaffolding
• lag sequential analysis
• e-assessment learning

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the support from the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan (MOST 108-2511-H-008-011-MY3 & MOST 108-2629-H-008-001-MY3) and the Ministry of Education (PED1080102).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sherry Y. Chen

Sherry Y. Chen is currently a Chair Professor at Graduate Institute of Network Learning Technology, National Central University, Taiwan and a Visiting Professor in the School of Information Systems, Computing and Mathematics at Brunel University, UK. She was granted an Outstanding Scholar Award from the Foundation for the Advancement of Outstanding Scholarship, Taiwan in 2010 and the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan in 2017.

Yu-Fen Tseng

Yu-Fen Tseng was a research student at the Graduate Institute of Network Learning Technology, National Central University, Taiwan.