Developing the self-regulated learner - a study in year 9 science

Abstract

This study investigated self-regulated learning (SRL) as a relationship between metacognitive self-regulation, motivational self-regulation and behavioural self-regulation and focussed on whether year 9 science students were able to develop SRL strategies. The teacher/researcher, through a PEEL lens, designed an intervention which embedded opportunities for student reflection on learning and understandings a usual classroom setting. Scheduled sessions were used to develop a common learning language which students used to reflect on learning and metacognition that was taking place from week to week. These sessions also provided a forum for the teacher to share her pedagogical reasoning (PR), develop an understanding of student/teacher roles during learning events, and of the value of formative assessment and effective feedback. Of course, the main intention was to introduce students to a greater repertoire of SRL strategies which they learned to activate and reflect on through the use of detailed achievement score graphs. Qualitative data were collected via classroom observations, use of student learning journals, the teacher/researcher's own teaching journal, collection of artefacts and responses from semi-structured interviews. From these observed data, students were categorised as High self-regulated learners (HSRL), Average self-regulated learnings (AvSRL) or Low self-regulated learners (LSRL) during the baseline stage and were re-categorised at the end of the intervention stage. It was found that the HSRL students flourished and fact, migrated towards each other and away from LSRL students; this had a greater effect on the learning of LSRL students who floundered as a result. The AvSRL students bifurcated forming two new groups known as AvSRL-A (demonstrating SRL behaviours closely related to those of HSRL students) and AvSRL-B (demonstrating SRL behaviours closely related to those of LSRL students); students made a choice to either opt in or opt out of science lessons and this had a direct effect on student learning. Quantitative data were collected via a modified version of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) and was triangulated with the qualitative data described above. It confirmed that, despite all students demonstrating developing SRL skills, the spread of the class had widened. That is, this research found that although year nine science students were able to develop SRL strategies, the extent to which this occurred and the ways which this manifested itself, varied within the class and fact, increased the spread between those who could and those who could not.