Effort Regulation Research Articles

The importance and meaning of session behaviour in a MOOC

One of the main challenges for online learners is knowing how to effectively manage their time. Highly autonomous settings, such as Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), put additional pressure on learners in this regard. However, little is known about how learners organise their time in terms of sessions or blocks of time across a MOOC. This study examined session behavioural data of 9272 learners in a MOOC and its relation to their engagement, grade and self-report data measuring aspects of self-regulated learning (SRL). From an exploratory temporal approach using clustering and group comparison tests, we examined how learners distributed sessions in relation to their length and frequency across the course (macro aspect), and which types of activities they prioritised within these sessions (micro aspect). We then investigated if these patterns of sessions were related to learners' level of engagement, achievement and use of self-regulated learning (SRL) skills. We found that successful learners had more frequent and longer sessions across the course, mixed up activities within sessions, and changed the focus of activities within sessions across the course. In addition, session distribution was found to be a meaningful proxy for learners’ use of SRL skills related to time management and effort regulation. That is, learners with higher levels of time management and effort regulation had longer and more sessions across the course. Based on the results, implications for supporting specific session behaviours to promote effective learning in MOOCs are discussed.

Investigating Performance in a Strenuous Physical Task from the Perspective of Self-Control.

It has been proposed that one reason physical effort is perceived as costly is because of the self-control demands that are necessary to persist in a physically demanding task. The application of control has been conceptualized as a value-based decision, that hinges on an optimization of the costs of control and available reward. Here, we drew on labor supply theory to investigate the effects of an Income Compensated Wage Decrease (ICWD) on persistence in a strenuous physical task. Research has shown that an ICWD reduced the amount of self-control participants are willing to apply, and we expected this to translate to a performance decrement in a strenuous physical task. Contrary to our expectations, participants in the ICWD group outperformed the control group in terms of persistence, without incurring higher levels of muscle fatigue or ratings of perceived exertion. Improved performance was accompanied by increases in task efficiency and a lesser increase in oxygenation of the prefrontal cortex, an area of relevance for the application of self-control. These results suggest that the relationship between the regulation of physical effort and self-control is less straightforward than initially assumed: less top-down self-control might allow for more efficient execution of motor tasks, thereby allowing for improved performance. Moreover, these findings indicate that psychological manipulations can affect physical performance, not by modulating how much one is willing to deplete limited physical resources, but by altering how tasks are executed.

An Examination of Compensatory Effort in a Vigilance Task Using Transcranial Doppler Sonography

This study uses a novel neuroergonomic approach to determine whether blood flow to the frontal cortex is sensitive to task demands and indicative of compensatory effort regulation that may occur in response to the vigilance decrement. The present study used transcranial Doppler sonography (TCD) to examine the anterior cerebral artery (ACA) and its response to different demands of a vigilance task over time. Participants completed a vigilance task in a slow or fast event rate condition. The results demonstrated a vigilance decrement in both conditions and that workload was higher when the event rate was faster. However, blood flow velocity in the ACA did not change as a function of time, nor was it sensitive to the event rate manipulation. While previous research has shown that TCD is a useful neuroergonomic tool for vigilance monitoring, current results indicate that TCD monitoring of the ACA may not be worthwhile.

What can completion time of quizzes tell us about students’ motivations and learning strategies?

Learning management systems (LMS) offer quiz tools that help students prepare for examinations. The purpose of this study is to investigate quiz tracking variables typically reported by LMS in relation to student achievement, motivation and learning strategies. The data from 143 undergraduate students comprised quiz tracking variables (number of attempts, completion time, and score), exam scores and responses to the Need for Cognition Scale (NfC), and selected components from the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire and the Achievement Goal Questionnaire. We hypothesized students retrieving information from memory while taking a quiz would complete the quiz in less time than students who searched for answers in the textbook, and consequently, quiz completion time would correlate with exam performance and key motivational and self-regulatory factors. We found quiz completion time correlated positively with performance-avoidance goal orientation. It correlated negatively with exam performance, NfC, self-efficacy, and effort regulation. The results indicated completion time of low stakes quizzes is associated with achievement-related motivations and reliably predicts achievement on summative exams. We attribute these links to the use of retrieval practice by students who successfully regulate their effort and learning strategies.

SELF-REGULATED LEARNING AND ITS RELATION TO VIETNAMESE EFL LEARNERS’ L2 LISTENING ACHIEVEMENT

Self-regulated learning (SRL) has been well-documented in prior studies as a critical factor for academic success. While previous educational researchers have acknowledged the fact that SRL is both domain and context-dependent (Wolter & Pintrich, 1998), research examining learners’ self-regulatory activities in EFL (English as a Foreign Language) context is rather limited. Drawing on the SRL theory of (Pintrich, 2004; Pintrich & De Groot, 1990), this research was carried out to examine the learning self-regulation of a group of Vietnamese EFL learners and its relation to their L2 listening competence. It also probes into whether gender and listening ability had an impact on the language learners’ self-regulatory learning behaviors. The Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ), adopted from Pintrich, Smith, Garcia and McKeachie (1991), was utilized as the research instrument which was then administered to 38 English-major students at a university in the central region of Vietnam. The participants’ L2 listening ability was also assessed with an adopted listening test. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation and two-way MANOVA were performed with SPSS version 22.0 for data analysis. The results indicated that participants had a moderate level of SRL, which was found to be associated with their L2 listening achievements. In particular, three aspects of SRL that were directly related to the EFL learners’ listening competence were metacognitive self-regulation, effort regulation, and critical thinking. There was, however, neither gender nor ability effect on the participants’ SRL. Pedagogical implications for teaching L2 listening skill, i.e., underscoring the role of higher-order thinking skills, and suggestions for future research were discussed.

Optimal Development of Youth Athletes Toward Elite Athletic Performance: How to Coach Their Motivation, Plan Exercise Training, and Pace the Race.

Elite athletes have invested many years in training and competition to reach the elite level. One very important factor on the road to elite performance is the decision-making process regarding the regulation of effort over time, termed as pacing behavior. The regulation of effort is vital for optimal athletic performance during a single race and over a longer period of time (e.g., a competitive season) as an inadequate regulation could result in a higher risk of injuries, overtraining, and drop-out. Despite this, there is limited knowledge on how young athletes learn and develop the abilities related to pacing. Pacing behavior of athletes develops from childhood throughout adolescence and is thought to be closely connected to physical maturation, the development of pre-frontal cortical related (meta-) cognitive functions, as well as the gathering of experience with exercise tasks. The motivation of an athlete can critically influence how an athlete paces a single race, but also how they distribute their effort over a longer period of time. Coaches are advised to closely monitor the development of pacing behavior during adolescence (e.g., by gathering split times, and related physiological measurement, during training and competition), as well as the underlying factors including physical maturation (meta-) cognitive development and the motivation of young athletes. Furthermore, pacing behavior development could be aided by providing training in which the task, individual, and environment are manipulated. Hereby, presenting athletes with the opportunity to gain experience in situations which closely resemble the perceptual-motor conditions of upcoming competitions.

Evaluating effort regulation in mixed fisheries: a Monte Carlo approach

Abstract This paper evaluates whether effort regulation could achieve the goal of protecting low-abundance species in mixed fisheries. We construct a two-species bio-economic model and compare the stock abundance ratio in the end of the fishing season with the ratio prior to the fishing. Fishers’ profit maximization problem is governed by three key factors: (i) the overall efficiency of catching different species (catchability), (ii) the price of different species, and (iii) their ability to catch the favoured species separately from the less-favoured species (separability). Using a Monte Carlo sampling of feasible parameters space, we show that effort regulation has good chances (87% of the cases) of maintaining the end stock ratio near equal levels (1/2< stock ratio <2) when the initial stock ratio is equal. If the initial stock ratio is not equal, however, there is a high risk (about 50% of the cases) that effort control increases differences in the relative species abundances, rather than diminishing them. The effects depend on whether the key factors determining fishing profitability are counteracting or reinforcing each other, and their relative strength. Our results warn against placing too much faith on the ability of effort regulation to protect species at low abundances from excessive exploitation.

Relative mobility determines the efficacy of MPAs in a two species mixed fishery with conflicting management objectives

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have been used to protect species in need of conservation and as a fisheries management tool. It has been suggested MPAs can benefit mobile stocks by protecting spawning grounds whilst also allowing yields to be maintained as mature fish move out of the protected areas. However, the robustness of this claim in mixed species fisheries has yet to be established. We use a simulation model to explore the efficacy of spatial closures and effort regulation when other forms of fishery control (e.g., Total Allowable Catches) are absent or non-enforced as ways of addressing management objectives that are difficult to reconcile due to the contrasting life-histories of a target and a bycatch, conservation species in a two-species fishery. The mobility of each stock in such a fishery affects the benefits conferred by an MPA. The differing management objectives of the two species can be partially met by effort regulations or closures when the species exhibit similar mobility. However, a more mobile conservation species prevents both sets of aims being met by either management tool. We use simulations to explore how spatial closures and effort regulation can be used to seek compromise between stakeholders when the mobility of one stock prevents conflicting management objectives to be fully met. Our results demonstrate that stock mobility is a key factor in considering whether an MPA can meet conflicting aims in a multispecies fishery compromised of stocks with differing life histories and mobilities.

Testing the role of cognitive inhibition in physical endurance using high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation over the prefrontal cortex

The aim of this study was to clarify the role of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in physical effort regulation. We hypothesized that the PFC would be progressively involved in physical endurance through the engagement of cognitive inhibition, which would be necessary to maintain effort by inhibiting fatigue-related cues. This hypothesis was examined using a double-blind, sham-controlled, within-subjects study (N = 20) using high-definition (HD) transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC). Participants had to maintain a knee extensor contraction at 30% of their maximal force while simultaneously performing an Eriksen flanker task to evaluate their inhibition performance during the task. Anodal stimulation of the dlPFC influenced response to the cognitive task during exercise, as seen by slower response times and better accuracy. However, it did not lead to any measureable improvement in cognitive inhibition and did not influence endurance time. There was no correlation between cognitive inhibition and the maintenance of physical effort. This result does not indicate a relationship between cognitive inhibition and endurance performance. The contribution of the PFC in physical endurance could be explained through its involvement on decisional processes.

The role of reward and task demand in value-based strategic allocation of auditory comprehension effort

ObjectivesListeners who fail to optimize their allocation of effort during auditory comprehension tasks can experience from compromised performance, fatigue and stress, which might result in reduced engagement in social communication activities. Strategically allocating effort based on costs and perceived benefits are commonly observed in the research of effortful physical and visual behaviors. Whether people manage their effort in a similar manner in audition remains unclear. As the listening performance of people with normal hearing often serves as the goal of auditory rehabilitation for people with hearing loss, this study evaluated how strategy-induced effort allocation, challenged by reward and task demand, interactively impacted auditory comprehension in normal hearing adults. DesignA value-based strategic effort allocation paradigm was evaluated in 40 normal-hearing young adults. The paradigm included five levels of reward (motivation) and five levels of task demand (speech rate) that were independently manipulated. Effects of reward and task demand on performance accuracy and pupil dilation (a measure of auditory comprehension effort) were examined. ResultsThere was a significant interaction effect of reward and task demand on both pupil dilation and comprehension accuracy. At the response stage of speech comprehension processing, pupil dilation significantly decreased as the task demand increased at high reward levels. In contrast, pupil dilation did not vary significantly as a function of task demand at low reward levels. Reward significantly improved performance accuracy at fast and extremely fast rate conditions, but not at the slower rates. ConclusionsConsistent with previous studies on effort regulation, reward and task demand appear to be associated with auditory comprehension effort allocation in an interactive manner when strategic effort control was required to achieve a reward goal. The young normal-hearing listeners in this study prioritized their effort to relatively easy task items over difficult ones at high levels of reward, suggesting a cost-effective value-based strategic effort allocation. Reward significantly improved task performance in terms of accuracy at difficult listening conditions. These findings support the incorporation of affective factors (e.g., reward) and the utility of the value-based strategic effort allocation paradigm in the experimental setting to understand how clinically relevant factors (such as hearing loss and age) might change strategic auditory comprehension behavior.

SELF-REGULATED LEARNING AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AMONG MEDICAL STUDENTS: AN ACCELERATED PROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY

Objectives: To determine the relationships between the use of self-regulated learning strategies and academic achievement among Vietnamese medical students. Methods: An accelerated prospective cohort study among 623 students at a public medical university, Vietnam was conducted during the academic year 2012-2013. Fourteen self-regulated learning subscales including intrinsic/extrinsic goal orientation, task values, self-efficacy for learning, control of learning beliefs, rehearsal, elaboration, organization, critical thinking, meta-cognitive strategies, time and study environment, effort regulation, peer learning, and help seeking were measured using the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire. The Grade Point Average was recorded through two consecutive semesters of the academic year 2012-2013. Data were collected at two points in time (once each semester). Generalized Estimating Equation was applied to explore any relationships between the use of self-regulated learning subscales and Grade Point Average, adjusting for the effects of within cluster correlation, National Medical Admission Test scores, and times of measurement, depression, anxiety, stress, and demographic covariates. Results: Results from multivariate analysis revealed that extrinsic goal orientation, time and study environment, and effort regulation were found to be significantly positively associated with Grade Point Average (mean difference: 0.932; 95%CI: 0.344 to 1.528). Conclusions: The use of self-regulated learning strategies can be helpful for improving of academic achievement among Vietnamese medical students. Key words: self-regulated learning, academic achievement, medical students, Vietnam

Assessment policies and academic performance within a single course: the role of motivation and self-regulation

Despite the frequently reported association of characteristics of assessment policies with academic performance, the mechanisms through which these policies affect performance are largely unknown. Therefore, the current research investigated performance, motivation and self-regulation for two groups of students following the same statistics course, but under two assessment policies: education and child studies (ECS) students studied under an assessment policy with relatively higher stakes, a higher performance standard and a lower resit standard, compared with Psychology students. Results show similar initial performance, but more use of resits and higher final performance (post-resit) under the ECS policy compared with the psychology policy. In terms of motivation and self-regulation, under the ECS policy significantly higher minimum grade goals, performance self-efficacy, task value, time and study environment management, and test anxiety were observed, but there were no significant differences in aimed grade goals, academic self-efficacy and effort regulation. The relations of motivational and self-regulatory factors with academic performance were similar between both assessment policies. Thus, educators should be keenly aware of how characteristics of assessment policies are related to students’ motivation, self-regulation and academic performance.

Systematic literature review on self-regulated learning in massive open online courses

Despite arguments about the importance of self-regulated learning (SRL) in massive open online courses (MOOCs) (Terras & Ramsay, 2015), understanding of the topic is limited. This study offers a systematic review of empirical research on SRL in MOOCs. It revealed that the body of literature on SRL in MOOCs has grown from 2014 to 2016. The content analysis findings show that SRL was a factor positively influencing learning in MOOCs. SRL strategies were identified, including motivational regulation strategies, specifically self-efficacy, task value, and goal setting. Particular cognitive regulation strategies were not identified, and goal setting was found as a metacognitive regulation strategy. Regarding behavioural and contextual regulation strategies, help seeking, time management, and effort regulation were identified. In addition, several MOOC designs and SRL interventions that consider unique characteristics of MOOCs were proposed to promote SRL. Implications of these findings and future research are discussed.

The role of achievement emotions in the collaborative problem-solving performance of adolescents

We explored the relationship between adolescents' activity-based achievement emotions and their performance during collaborative problem solving (CPS) tasks, which was operationalized as having objective social and cognitive performance dimensions. Participants were 100 adolescent dyads (n = 200) who completed a series of five computer-based CPS tasks while their activity emotions of enjoyment, boredom, and anger were recorded. It was hypothesized, using a partially mediated structural regression model, that individual differences in students' activity emotions would be linked to effort regulation, which in turn, would be associated with both CPS social and cognitive performance. On the basis that more effective collaboration efforts enable better cognitive performance, we also expected CPS social performance to influence CPS cognitive performance. Our hypothesized model fit the data well. All emotions were associated with effort regulation, and effort regulation influenced cognitive performance but showed a weak association with social performance. Instead, anger and enjoyment affected CPS social performance directly. Our findings provide valuable insight into the role of affective experiences in the growing area of measuring 21st century skills in educational settings.

Testosterone, cortisol, and status-striving personality features: A review and empirical evaluation of the Dual Hormone hypothesis

Decades of research in behavioral endocrinology has implicated the gonadal hormone testosterone in the regulation of mating effort, often expressed in primates in the form of aggressive and/or status-striving behavior. Based on the idea that neuroendocrine axes influence each other, recent work among humans has proposed that links between testosterone and indices of status-striving are rendered conditional by the effects of glucocorticoids. The Dual Hormone hypothesis is one particular instance of this argument, predicting that cortisol blocks the effects of testosterone on dominance, aggression, and risk-taking in humans. Support for the Dual Hormone hypothesis is wide-ranging, but considerations of theoretical ambiguity, null findings, and low statistical power pose problems for interpreting the published literature. Here, we contribute to the development of the Dual Hormone hypothesis by (1) critically reviewing the extant literature—including p-curve analyses of published findings; and, (2) “opening the file drawer” and examining relationships between testosterone, cortisol, and status-striving personality features in seven previously published studies from our laboratories (total N = 718; median N per feature = 318) that examined unrelated predictions. Results from p-curve suggest that published studies have only 16% power to detect effects, while our own data show no robust interactions between testosterone and cortisol in predicting status-striving personality features. We discuss the implications of these results for the Dual Hormone hypothesis, limitations of our analyses, and the development of future research.

Predicting effort regulation in mathematics in adolescents

Objectives:The primary objective of this study was to examine the role of self-efficacy in mathematics and mathematical mindset in effort regulation in mathematics. Effort regulation was defined as ‘management of effort in learning activities in the face of difficulties’.Design:A large-scale survey (N=1448) with four cohorts of students in years 7, 8, 9 and 11 (M age=14.0 years, SD=0.46) was conducted.Methods:1448 participants, from two comprehensive schools in the UK, completed a pen and paper survey. Demographic characteristics, measures of prior attainment and cognitive ability were provided by the schools.Results:Findings from this study showed that mathematical mindset and self-efficacy in mathematics both positively predicted effort regulation in mathematics. Furthermore, it appears that the effect of mathematical mindset on effort regulation in mathematics was mediated through self-efficacy in mathematics.Conclusions:This study provides initial support for the relationship between mathematical mindset and effort regulation in mathematics as a key process, mediated by self-efficacy in mathematics. These results contribute to the current understanding of effort regulation in adolescents and are indicative of possible ways to enhance effort regulation in mathematics. Implications of the findings for future research are discussed.

Student teachers’ feelings of anxiety and exhaustion: can self-regulated learning skills function as an antidote?

ABSTRACTThis study examines first-year student teachers’ (N = 310) self-evaluated, study-related anxiety and exhaustion, and self-regulated learning (SRL) skills. Our presumption is that feelings of anxiety and exhaustion can be reduced with cognitive and motivational SRL skills. The association of cognitive and motivational SRL skills with feelings of anxiety and exhaustion were analysed with multiple multivariate regression analysis. The results indicate that high time- and study-environment management strategies and high self-efficacy beliefs reduced experienced feelings of anxiety and exhaustion. In addition, effort regulation had a reducing effect for anxiety. However, high extrinsic goal orientation predicted higher levels of anxiety and exhaustion and high task value predicted higher anxiety among student teachers. Particularly, female students had a stronger tendency to experience anxiety and exhaustion. The implications of the results for higher education and for teacher education are discussed.

Motivation, Cognitive and Resource Management Skills: Association of Self-Regulated Learning Domains with Gender, Clinical Transition and Academic Performance of Undergraduate Medical Students

Studies have associated self-regulated learning with better medical academic performance. However, limited data depicts inter-gender variabilities and differences between pre-clinical students and those undergoing clinical transition. Our study aims to bridge this gap. In this comparative cross-sectional study, Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire was administered to 550 undergraduate students of Army Medical College. Three hundred thirty-nine of 550 students responded. Reliability analysis was performed (Cronbach's α = 0.936). Extrinsic motivation was higher than intrinsic. Use of cognitive, metacognitive, and resource management skills was modest. Academic performance was weakly but significantly correlated with intrinsic goal orientation (p = 0.031), extrinsic goal orientation (p = 0.003), elaboration (p = 0.001), time/study environment (p = 0.009), and effort regulation (p = 0.009). Extrinsic goal orientation mean score was significantly lower (p < 0.001) for third year students when compared with that of pre-clinical students. Females had higher task-value scores (p = 0.009) while males had higher self-efficacy (p = 0.002) and critical thinking (p = 0.012) scores. Study concludes that academic performance and self-regulated learning domains are weakly but significantly correlated. Students undergoing clinical transition have lower extrinsic motivation. Inter-gender variabilities exist in task-value, critical thinking, and self-efficacy domains. This study opens up new vistas for educationists who should revise curricula, academic reward systems, and pedagogy forms. Interventional studies should be designed to bring improvements in self-regulated learning domains.

Self-Regulated Learning for New Tertiary Students in the Bachelor of Psychology Degree Course

The transition from senior high-school to university is an important phase for new tertiary students to which they must adapt, particularly in academic matters. This study was conducted with new students (n = 95), commencing studies in 2017 at the Faculty of Psychology, Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, West Java, to obtain a picture of their abilities in self-regulated learning. The Bachelor of Psychology course, which is a Science subject, involves a great deal of social science, and so requires a unique study strategy, to enable new students to adapt in the academic field. This study utilized the Motivation Strategy Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) measurement instrument scale, supplemented by a survey questionnaire regarding academic results. Some 70% of new tertiary students in the Bachelor of Psychology (BPsych) course organized their goals and regulated their motivation internally (internal goal motivation). The study strategy most used to regulate their cognition was elaboration, whilst there still tended to be a few who capitalized upon peer learning and critical thinking strategies in their learning processes (40%). The aspects of effort regulation and help seeking were found to be able somewhat to predict their Student Achievement Index (Indeks Prestasi Siswa–IPS). For this reason, the learning environment needs to be conditioned so that these two aspects are facilitated optimally.

Validating and Adapting the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) for STEM Courses at an HBCU

This study investigated the validity and reliability of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) for minority students enrolled in STEM courses at a historically black college/university (HBCU). Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the third-order factor structure and to respecify the model. An adequate fit to the study sample data was achieved for the respecified MSLQ (MSLQ-R), and measurement invariance was verified on four groups within the HBCU sample. The highest correlates with EOC grade on the MSLQ-R were self-efficacy, task value, effort regulation, and time and study environment. Metacognitive self-regulation and strategy use variables were found to not correlate with EOC grade. A useful capability to discriminate on the basis of academic performance was exhibited by the MSLQ-R.