Self-Regulatory Learning Behaviours in Open and Distance Learning: Priming Appropriate Online Mediation Contexts for Multicultural Students

Abstract

As more open and distance learning (ODL) institutions avail their curricula to a diverse range of multicultural students through a variety of blended methodologies, lecturers/facilitators are expected to craft appropriate instructional contexts and activities than rely on orthodox knowledge-based curricula. In order to succeed to this endeavour, lecturers must, at all times, be reflective and analytical about their own beliefs and practices and acquire a deeper understanding of cognitive and motivational principles of multicultural self-regulated learning and agency. The e-narrative analysis of data collected through a qualitative highly flexible online asynchronous online bulletin board (OBB) and the use of a focus group format in which pre-recruited respondents logged on at any time convenient to them indicated that ODL multicultural students in the majority of cases feel that learning experience schemas primed by lecturers that are destined to promote agencies and make online self-regulatory learning behaviours effective are somewhat inadequate and inappropriate in developing countries like South Africa. I proffer that ODL mediation contexts and activities primed by lecturers for andragogical multicultural online self-regulatory learning behaviours must include student-centred or critical inclusion, the inclusion of the voices and perspectives of the students themselves in the educational experiences in order to undergird social agency. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n15p441