The effect of electronic scaffolding for technology integration on perceived task effort and confidence of primary student teachers

Abstract

Forty-one primary student teachers were divided into two groups and were instructed how to integrate certain Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools in learning activities. Only one group was guided to use Filamentality, a fill-in-the-blank interactive Web site, and to organize Internet information in a Hotlist and a Scrapbook. Questionnaires were administered to collect data related to students’ perceived task effort (PTE) as a result of integrating ICT in the learning environment, and their confidence levels in using ICT tools, while their initial attitudes toward ICT and its integration in the classroom were taken into consideration. The results indicated that Filamentality effectively scaffolded particular aspects of ICT integration in learning and instruction, and significantly reduced learners’ amount of PTE, but there was not always a significant effect on learners’ self-reported confidence levels.