ABSTRACT
In 1976, Wood, Bruner, and Ross (1976) introduced the term scaffolding in the context of an analysis of adult–child interaction. They used the term as a metaphor for the process by which an adult assists a child to carry out a task beyond the child’s capability as an individual agent. They described scaffolding as consisting of the adult’s “‘controlling’ those elements of the task that are initially beyond the learners capacity, thus permitting him to concentrate upon and complete only those elements that are within his range of competence.” They argued, furthermore, that “the process can potentially achieve much more for the learner than an assisted completion of the task,” and that it could result in “development of task competence by the learner at a pace that would far outstrip his unassisted efforts.” … The mechanism assumed to lead to this success was summarized in a companion paper by Wood and Middleton (1975, p. 190).
The instruction serves to mark or highlight … task appropriate actions, providing [the child] with feedback which, though consistent with his actions, might not be inferred by him alone in the face of the many other competitors for relevance and attention which confront him. As he enacts and perfects such isolated task constituents, uncertainty about what to do and what to anticipate as a consequence of his actions diminishes, at least with regard to a subset of the task. This further frees the child to consider the wider or related task constraints and operations. At best, this process continues until he becomes acquainted with and skilled in all aspects of task activity to the point where he can initiate and control his own behaviour in the absence of an instructor.
