Scripts for computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) offer socio-cognitive scaffolding for learners to engage in collaborative activities that are considered beneficial for learning. Yet, CSCL scripts are often criticized for hampering naturally emerging collaboration. Research on the effectiveness of CSCL scripts has shown divergent…

This article presents an outline of a script theory of guidance for computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL). With its 4 types of components of internal and external scripts (play, scene, role, and scriptlet) and 7 principles, this theory addresses the question of how CSCL practices are shaped by dynamically reconfigured internal…

The authors argue that a script perspective can lead to a better understanding of learning in new learning spaces. Scripts can be understood as flexible, individual memory structures guiding our understanding and actions, but also as instructional interventions that help students use the affordances offered in new learning spaces. In study 1 (N =…