Does Training on Self-Regulated Learning Facilitate Students' Learning With Hypermedia?

TLDR

The study examined whether self‑regulated learning training improves college students’ learning with hypermedia. In a randomized study of 131 undergraduates, the SRL group received a 30‑minute training on empirically based SRL strategies before using a hypermedia environment to learn the circulatory system, while the control group had no training; pre‑ and post‑tests and verbal protocols were collected. The SRL training produced a significantly greater shift in learners’ mental models than the control, with verbal protocols indicating that the improvement was linked to the use of the taught SRL variables.

Abstract

The authors examined the effectiveness of self-regulated learning (SRL) training in facilitating college students' learning with hypermedia. Undergraduate students (N = 131) were randomly assigned to either a training condition or a control condition and used a hypermedia environment to learn about the circulatory system. Students in the SRL group were given a 30-min training session on the use of specific, empirically based SRL variables designed to foster their conceptual understanding; control students received no training. Pretest, posttest, and verbal protocol data were collected from both groups. The SRL condition facilitated the shift in learners' mental models significantly more than did the control condition; verbal protocol data indicated that this was associated with the use of the SRL variables taught during training.