Which term refers to temporary support by a more knowledgeable other to help a child master a task?

Which term refers to temporary support by a more knowledgeable other to help a child master a task?

• A. Shared Activity
• B. Mediators
• C. Scaffolding
• D. Zone of Proximal Development

Answer: (C)

Scaffolding is the term for temporary support by a more knowledgeable other to help a child master a task. In this approach, guidance such as modeling the steps, asking leading questions, breaking the task into smaller parts, giving hints, and providing feedback helps the child work through a problem they can’t do alone yet. The support is intended to be gradually removed as the learner becomes more competent and can perform the task independently. This idea sits inside the Zone of Proximal Development—the range of tasks a child can do with guidance versus alone—but the scaffolding itself is the specific, temporary help that moves the learner forward. The other terms don’t capture that targeted, temporary support mechanism: the Zone of Proximal Development describes the potential range, not the coaching itself, and mediators or shared activity refer to broader tools or collaboration rather than the structured, fading support.

Scaffolding is the term for temporary support by a more knowledgeable other to help a child master a task. In this approach, guidance such as modeling the steps, asking leading questions, breaking the task into smaller parts, giving hints, and providing feedback helps the child work through a problem they can’t do alone yet. The support is intended to be gradually removed as the learner becomes more competent and can perform the task independently. This idea sits inside the Zone of Proximal Development—the range of tasks a child can do with guidance versus alone—but the scaffolding itself is the specific, temporary help that moves the learner forward. The other terms don’t capture that targeted, temporary support mechanism: the Zone of Proximal Development describes the potential range, not the coaching itself, and mediators or shared activity refer to broader tools or collaboration rather than the structured, fading support.