The Impact of Procedural Scaffolding on Mobile Learning Outcomes

Mobile learning, offering anytime and anywhere learning, is becoming increasingly im-portant in various areas such as the training of blue-collar workers in organizations. However, mobile learning may overwhelm the learner since it is often used in rich physical environments and demands a high self-regulated learning ability. Therefore, research suggests the use of procedural scaffolds to guide the learner and to enhance learning outcomes. To investigate how different procedural scaffolds contribute to learning outcomes, we conducted a between-subject quasi-experiment with 333 Chinese blue-collar workers. Our results show that comprehensive tutorials at the beginning of the learning process have a positive influence on learning outcomes in contrast to instructional overlays during the learning process as well as a combination of both scaffolds. Consequently, we did not observe that procedural scaffolds per se have a positive impact on learning outcomes, but the right scaffold in the right context has the potential to increase learning outcomes.