Supporting Students’ Self-Regulated Learning in an Introductory Physics Course

Abstract

It is often challenging for physics instructors to dedicate time during a course to engage students in developing strategic approaches to learning in addition to problem-solving skills and content knowledge. In this work, we introduce a simple modification to our teaching practice with the purpose of fostering student development of self-regulated learning (SRL). Instructional practices supportive of self-regulated learning are associated with positive academic, social, and personal outcomes in higher education. Research also indicates that students can improve in their self-regulation over time, and we demonstrate that instructors can support this development in class with strategies that require minimal class time. In the context of classroom instruction, we can think of SRL as an intentional, active, and goal-driven engagement in learning activities that relies on metacognitive knowledge and skills.