Teaching chemistry using scaffolding: a systematic review

Articles in Press

Document Type : Review article

Authors

1 Department of Chemistry Education, Farhangian University, P.O. Box 14665-889, Tehran, Iran

2 Lecturer at Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran

3 Ph.D. Student, Department of Curriculum Planning, Tehran University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Scaffolding is a useful teaching approach that can be applied in chemistry education, since many concepts of chemistry are abstract in nature. The purpose of this study is to provide a summary of reported research in the field of teaching chemistry concepts, especially in the field of organic and laboratory chemistry, using scaffolding, for chemistry teachers. Methods: An investigate was carried out in three academic databases including Scopus, ERIC (English databases) and the Electronic Database of Academic Jihad (Persian database) using the keywords Scaffolding and related terms in the first stage and keywords such as Chemistry, Organic in the second stage. 304 articles published between 2011 and 2024, which emphasized educational and practical perspectives on scaffolding, were selected in the initial review, and after the necessary screening, 20 articles were finalized. Findings: The results of the study show that scaffolding does not simply mean learning with teacher support, but rather specific support and the creation of a situation that applies a kind of positive educational pressure to students and enables them to work at a higher level of performance. When the teacher does not know which part of the lesson the student's incomplete understanding is related to, she can support the student by using scaffolding, and this is an important advantage of the scaffolding teaching method. Conclusion: The present study shows that although teaching using scaffolding is relatively time-consuming, it is very effective for teaching many difficult and abstract concepts, especially organic and laboratory chemistry, and teachers involved in teaching chemistry can use these methods according to the type of problem and the ability of the learners.

Keywords

Research in Chemistry Education

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 25 September 2025

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