A systematic review of studies on scaffolding in statistics education

Although research on scaffolding in statistics education is growing, no systematic evaluation has yet synthesized its influence in this field. This systematic review addresses that gap by analyzing 81 peer-reviewed journal articles to examine key dimensions of scaffolding in statistics education: guiding theoretical frameworks, study contexts, scaffolded strategies, methods of evaluating learning outcomes, and scaffolded learning outcomes. Cognitive outcomes were the most frequently targeted, followed by motivational and metacognitive outcomes, with most reviewed studies reporting positive effects of scaffolding. The most prominent scaffolding characteristics identified were (a) adaptation of interactive technology-based tools, (b) scaffolds that support collaborative learning, and (c) prompting or teacher guidance. Scaffolds that took narrative approaches and games or gamification approaches were notably underrepresented in the literature. The review also highlights a lack of research on scaffolding in middle school, high school, and graduate-level statistics education, as well as limited scholarly voices from Asia and the Global South.