Changes in Students' Self-Regulation Based on Different Teaching Methodologies.

Abstract

This study addressed the question: What instructional techniques are most effective in helping students learn how to self-regulate their learning? An integrated model based on current research in self-regulated learning (SRL) was used to explain changes in students' SRL. Five key instructional practices were identified and embedded into a math curriculum: (1) guide self-beliefs, goal setting, and expectations; (2) promote reflective dialogue; (3) provide corrective feedback; (4) connect abstract concepts; and (5) link to new experiences. Data were collected from 78 students attending a New England community college. Analysis of variance, correlations, and path analyses were used to determine differences between the treatment and comparison groups' perceptions of their SRL preto post-semester. The results suggest that students who learned through SRL-embedded teaching methods became more effective in SRL, a finding that emphasizes the critical role that instructors play in the SRL process by providing cues within the instructional setting. The results also indicate that SRL is an integrated process. The paper suggests that future research in SRL should focus on methods that capture the interrelationship among the SRL variables. (Contains 49 references.) (Author/SM) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. 1 PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY