Supporting Student Self-Regulated Learning in Problem- and Project-Based Learning

TLDR

Problem‑ and project‑based learning demands that students take responsibility for goal setting, monitoring, reflection, and motivation, yet many struggle to do so naturally, so the learning environment and teaching practices must be intentionally designed to support self‑regulated learning. This paper aims to provide educators with guidance on designing learning environment features and teaching practices that foster student responsibility for learning throughout PBL. The authors present a theoretical model linking PBL and SRL, accompanied by research‑driven guidelines for promoting student responsibility in PBL.

Abstract

In order to be successful in problem- or project-based learning (PBL), students must take responsibility for the learning process by setting goals, monitoring, reflecting, and sustaining their motivation from the beginning of the project until the end. However, for many students, these processes do not occur naturally or easily. Therefore, the learning environment and teaching practices in PBL must be designed with intention to support students’ self-regulated learning (SRL). This paper describes specific learning environment features and teaching practices that have been shown to foster student responsibility for learning in each phase of PBL, with the purpose of providing educators with guidance for developing SRL in PBL, and ultimately, student motivation and ability to learn. To accomplish this, a theoretical model of the relationship between PBL and SRL is presented, along with research-driven guidelines on how to promote student responsibility for learning in PBL.