Co-construction of academic concepts: How facilitator scaffolding for student pairs shapes interaction dynamics

Nadia Soledad Peralta, Mariano Castellaro, María Agustina Tuzinkievicz and Juan Manuel Curcio
National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Argentina, and Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Argentina

This study examined the interactive dynamics between researchers and participants during the co-construction of academic concepts. Embracing a socio-constructivist approach, messages, categories, and correlations were scrutinised across multiple activity segments. The study involved 12 pairs of university students and a facilitator-researcher. The researcher intervened in the interaction by scaffolding, including (a) alternating the participation of subjects; (b) understanding and evaluating the partner; and (c) dissenting between positions. At no point did the researcher act as a teacher or explain concepts, nor did the researcher evaluate content. The researcher's messages influenced participants' responses, generating distinct interaction patterns: some responded directly, while others engaged in deeper explorations and reflections. Open-ended questions prompted diverse responses and deeper reflections, whereas more specific inquiries limited the breadth of responses. Two profiles of dyadic interaction emerged: one displayed a progressive internalisation of questions, reflecting greater autonomy; the other revealed more direct and less reflective responses. Correlations underscored the researcher's influence on interactive dynamics. These findings highlight how selective intervention by the researcher shapes interaction dynamics, impacting the depth and breadth of responses, emphasising the importance of questioning strategies, and the relevance of fostering collaborative environments that promote autonomy and reflection.
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Authors: Dr Nadia Soledad Peralta (corresponding author) holds a PhD in Psychology. She is a researcher at the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas {National Scientific and Technical Research Council} (CONICET), Argentina). He serves as a professor in the Faculty of Psychology at Universidad Nacional de Rosario (UNR), Argentina. He studies the sociocognitive processes involved in knowledge construction in educational settings. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9950-6949 Email: nperalta@irice-conicet.gov.ar Dr Mariano Castellaro holds a PhD in Psychology. He is a researcher at the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET, Argentina). He serves as a professor in the Faculty of Psychology at the Universidad Nacional de Rosario (UNR), Argentina. He studies the sociocognitive processes involved in knowledge construction in educational settings. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5470-9662 Email: castellaro@irice-conicet.gov.ar María Agustina Tuzinkievicz is a doctoral fellow at IRICE (Instituto Rosario de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Educación [Rosario Institute for Research in Educational Sciences]) (CONICET-UNR), and serves as a professor of Psychology at the Universidad Nacional de Rosario (UNR), Argentina. She studies dialogic argumentation in the sociocognitive interactions of university students. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7443-9003 Email: tuzinkievicz@irice-conicet.gov.ar Juan Manuel Curcio is a doctoral fellow at IRICE (CONICET-UNR), the Rosario Institute for Research in Educational Sciences and serves as a professor of Psychology at the Universidad Nacional de Rosario (UNR), Argentina, and at Instituto Universitario Italiano de Rosario (IUNIR), Argentina. She studies psychosocial variables in sociocognitive interactions among university students. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8871-5315 Email: curcio@irice-conicet.gov.ar Please cite as: Peralta, N. S., Castellaro, M., Tuzinkievicz, M. A. & Curcio, J. M. (2025). Co-construction of academic concepts: How facilitator scaffolding for student pairs shapes interaction dynamics. Issues in Educational Research, 35(2), 738-758. http://www.iier.org.au/iier35/peralta.pdf