Self-regulated Learning Microanalysis Research Articles

Self-regulated learning microanalysis feedback for developing clinical skills: A pilot study

Introduction The development of clinical skills requires the appropriate use of self-regulated learning (SRL). Students’ use of key SRL processes as they perform a clinical skill can be identified by SRL microanalysis and used to provide feedback. SRL-microanalysis feedback only on students’ key SRL processes has not been previously researched for developing clinical skills. The aim of this study was to investigate whether SRL-microanalysis feedback only on students’ key SRL processes can improve both their use of SRL and their clinical skill performance. Methods Twenty-three final year medical students with no experience in the clinical skill required for mechanical ventilation participated in this study. Key SRL processes and clinical skill performance were measured before and after SRL microanalysis feedback. Results Overall, we found an improvement in the key SRL processes of planning and monitoring of performance, with a significant difference in monitoring. We also found an increase in students’ clinical skill performance. Discussion This study, which is the first in clinical skills, demonstrated that SRL microanalysis feedback only on key SRL processes can improve both students’ SRL and their clinical skill performance. studies are recommended with a great number of students and across a variety of clinical skills.

Using Self-Regulated Learning Microanalysis to Examine Regulatory Processes in Clerkship Students Engaged in Practice Questions.

Self-regulated learning is a cyclical process of forethought, performance, and self-reflection that has been used as an assessment tool in medical education. No prior studies have evaluated SRL processes for answering multiple-choice questions (MCQs) and most evaluated one or two iterations of a non-MCQ task. SRL assessment during MCQs may elucidate reasons why learners are successful or not on these questions that are encountered repeatedly during medical education. Internal medicine clerkship students at three institutions participated in a SRL microanalytic protocol that targeted strategic planning, metacognitive monitoring, causal attributions, and adaptive inferences across seven MCQs. Responses were transcribed and coded according to previously published methods for microanalytic protocols. Forty-four students participated. In the forethought phase, students commonly endorsed prioritizing relevant features as their diagnostic strategy (n = 20, 45%) but few mentioned higher-order diagnostic reasoning processes such as integrating clinical information (n = 5, 11%) or comparing/contrasting diagnoses (n = 0, 0%). However, in the performance phase, students' metacognitive processes included high frequencies of integration (n = 38, 86%) and comparing/contrasting (n = 24, 55%). In the self-reflection phase, 93% (n = 41) of students faulted their management reasoning and 84% (n = 37) made negative references to their abilities. Less than 10% (n = 4) of students indicated that they would adapt their diagnostic reasoning process for these questions. This study describes in detail student self-regulatory processes during MCQs. We found that students engaged in higher-order diagnostic reasoning processes but were not explicit about it and seldom reflected critically on these processes after selecting an incorrect answer. Self-reflections focused almost exclusively on management reasoning and negative references to abilities which may decrease self-efficacy. Encouraging students to identify and evaluate diagnostic reasoning processes and make attributions to controllable factors may improve performance.

Music majors’ self-regulated learning (SRL) of music practice in China: Two case studies based on the SRL microanalysis

The primary purpose of the study was to explore the current situation of Chinese music majors’ self-regulated learning (SRL) in the individual music practice context. Two undergraduate piano players’ music practice profiles were collected using SRL microanalysis protocols and follow-up semi-structured interviews. The results have shown: (1) there were obvious differences between the two Chinese music majors’ before, during, and after their practice sessions; (2) both participants’ SRL during music practice could be enhanced by developing advanced practice strategies (including metacognitive and mental strategies); (3) music majors’ SRL has been influenced by Chinese culture when seeking help from teachers and in self-attribution; (4) the SRL microanalysis can effectively obtain specific contextualized information regarding music majors’ behavior, cognition, and affect during their practice in the Chinese context. This study reflects the Chinese music majors’ current situation in terms of self-regulated music practice and provides insights useful to understanding the practices of students influenced by Chinese culture and improving them to achieve higher levels of self-regulated music practice.

Self-regulated learning processes across different physiotherapy clinical procedural skills and time intervals: A SRL microanalysis study

Purpose of the study The performance of a clinical procedural skill by an individual student is associated with their use of Self-Regulated Learning (SRL) processes. However, previous research has not identified if an individual student has a similarity in their use of SRL processes across different clinical procedural skill tasks and at a time interval. The aim of this pilot study was to explore the similarity in the use of SRL processes by individual students across different clinical procedural skill tasks and at a time interval. Methods SRL-microanalysis was used to collect within-subject data on undergraduate physiotherapy students’ use of the two key SRL processes (planning and monitoring) during their performance of different goniometry clinical procedural skills tasks and also at a fourth month interval. Results An individual student’s use of key SRL processes across different clinical procedural skill tasks and at a time interval was similar. Also, this similarity was identified for students with initial successful and unsuccessful performances. Conclusion Our findings have implications for the future wider practical implementation of SRL microanalysis to inform personalised SRL feedback for developing the clinical procedural skills of individual students. Further research with a greater number of students and across a wider range of clinical procedural skills will be required to confirm our findings, and also its effectiveness on feedback and future performance.

Measuring and Predicting Divergent Thinking With a Self-Report Questionnaire, Teacher Rating Scale, and Self-Regulated Learning Microanalysis

This study examined the relationships among three measurement methodologies that are used to assess characteristics and processes associated with creativity (i.e., a self-report questionnaire, teacher ratings, and a structured interview). In addition, we examined the predictive contributions of these three measurement methodologies for a divergent thinking test (Torrance Test of Creative Thinking-Figural; TTCT-F). Participants were 89 adolescents in the Midwestern United States. Results revealed that the self-report questionnaire and structured interview measure of self-efficacy correlated significantly (r = .34), but no other significant relationships among measurement methodologies were observed. Neither the self-report ratings nor teacher ratings significantly predicted performance on the TTCT-F, but the structured interview measures did.

Utility of a self-regulated learning microanalysis for assessing learning during professional development

A key process in the discipline of science is argumentation, which has recently been receiving more attention in K-12 classrooms. The purpose of this multiple case study was to concurrently examine self-regulated learning processes (SRL) and learning outcomes of three teachers in a professional development (PD) on argumentation in science to assess the relationship between types of learning processes employed by teachers and corresponding learning outcomes. Three teacher cases were selected based on variations in their self-efficacy for the PD, the type of schools in which they taught, and their experiences with argumentation in science. Teachers who were able to use SRL strategies had deeper learning outcomes and created lesson plans that engaged students in higher levels of argumentation. It was found that the SRL microanalysis was useful in eliciting learning processes for learners and provided opportunities for learners to be more aware of their SRL practices. Implications for this study include ways to measure learning processes and learning outcomes concurrently to provide more effective PD instruction.

A microanálise da aprendizagem musical autorregulada como ferramenta para o desenvolvimento da pedagogia da performance

This article presents a literature review about the Self-regulated Learning Microanalysis, one of the methodological approaches developed in the last decades to measure and evaluate the learning process in different contexts. I present a historical overview of the development of measure/assessment processes and tools for Self-Regulated Learning (SRL), the microanaly-sis approach in Social Cognitive Theory (Bandura, 1977a), and self-regulated learning (Cleary & Zimmerman, 2001; Kitsantas & Zimmerman, 2002), besides the recent proposals for the application of this evaluative/interventional technique in the musical field. This review seeks to support the arguments in favor of the viability of adopting microanalysis as a solid methodological approach and an effective didactic and academic tool for the development of performance pedagogy.

A microanálise da aprendizagem musical autorregulada como ferramenta para o desenvolvimento da pedagogia da performance

This article presents a literature review about the Self-regulated Learning Microanalysis, one of the methodological approaches developed in the last decades to measure and evaluate the learning process in different contexts. I present a historical overview of the development of measure/assessment processes and tools for Self-Regulated Learning (SRL), the microanaly-sis approach in Social Cognitive Theory (Bandura, 1977a), and self-regulated learning (Cleary & Zimmerman, 2001; Kitsantas & Zimmerman, 2002), besides the recent proposals for the ap-plication of this evaluative/interventional technique in the musical field. This review seeks to support the arguments in favor of the viability of adopting microanalysis as a solid methodological approach and an effective didactic and academic tool for the development of performance pedagogy.

Self-regulated learning microanalysis for the study of the performance of clinical examinations by physiotherapy students

BackgroundStudents require feedback on their self-regulated learning (SRL) processes to improve the performance of clinical examinations. The key SRL processes used by students can be identified by SRL-micro-analysis but, this method has not been previously applied to physiotherapy students. The aim of this pilot study was to test a research design that might allow the evaluation of the potential usefulness of SRL microanalysis for the identification of key SRL processes used by physiotherapy students during the performance of a clinical examination skill. The objectives of the pilot study were: 1) to evaluate whether SRL-microanalysis could identify differences in the use of SRL processes between successful and unsuccessful students; 2) to evaluate the reliability of SRL microanalysis ratings produced by different assessors.MethodsSRL-microanalysis was used with second year physiotherapy students of a Spanish university (n = 26) as they performed a goniometric task. The task required students to obtain a goniometric measurement of the shoulder joint of a peer. Two assessors evaluated student performance and conducted the SRL- microanalysis with all students. An analysis of inter-rater reliability was performed to evaluate the degree of agreement between assessors.ResultsThe SRL-microanalysis revealed differences in the use of key SRL processes between successful (n = 15: 57.0%) and unsuccessful performers (n = 11: 43.0%): The differences were particularly evident in strategic planning and self-monitoring skills. There was good inter-rater reliability for scoring of strategic planning (k = 0.792), self-monitoring (k = 0.946) and self-evaluation (k = 0.846).ConclusionThe use of SRL microanalysis characterized the key SRL processes of physiotherapy students performing a clinical skill with reliability between the assessors. This pilot study supports the potential usefulness of SRL-microanalysis for the identification of key SRL processes in physiotherapy education. Therefore, this study paves the way to the development of a full study, with a larger number of students and more diverse clinical tasks, to evaluate the SRL processes in successful and unsuccessful students.

Using multiple self-regulated learning measures to understand medical students' biomedical science learning.

Understanding self-regulated learning (SRL) is complicated due to the different measures used to identify the key SRL processes. There is a growing trend in applying event measures of SRL (microanalysis and trace) but aptitude measures (questionnaires) continue to be widely used in medical education. A major concern is whether aptitude measures are a valid approach to capture the dimensions of SRL processes. This study examined correlations between SRL microanalysis, SRL trace and the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) and how these measures were associated with biomedical science performance. An SRL microanalysis assessment interview was administered to 76 first-year medical students individually when performing a biomedical science learning task. All written materials by students were collected for further trace analysis. Students completed an MSLQ 2 weeks before completing their biomedical science course. Correlation analyses were used to determine the correlations between the three SRL assessment measures. Bivariate and multiple analyses were conducted to compare students on different course or task performance using the three SRL assessment measures. Microanalytic metacognitive monitoring (κ=0.30, P<.001) and causal attributions (κ=0.17, P=.009) had statistically significant correlations with use of the SRL trace strategy. MSLQ self-efficacy correlated with microanalytic self-efficacy (r=.39, P=.001). Bivariate tests showed that microanalytic metacognitive monitoring, causal attributions and adaptive inferences, and SRL trace strategy use had significant associations with task performance (P<.05). Microanalytic self-efficacy, metacognitive monitoring and causal attributions, SRL trace strategy use and MSLQ self-efficacy had significant associations with course performance (P<.05). Measures of use of the SRL trace strategy and MSLQ subscales did not show significant associations with task and course outcomes in multiple analyses (P>.05). Event measures, specifically SRL microanalysis, had greater associations with both task and course outcomes compared with the MSLQ measure. The SRL microanalysis is recommended for the assessment of SRL in biomedical science learning. However, to fully understand medical students' SRL a multidimensional assessment approach that combines event and aptitude measures should be used.

Multidimensional assessment of self-regulated learning with middle school math students.

This study examined the convergent and predictive validity of self-regulated learning (SRL) measures situated in mathematics. The sample included 100 eighth graders from a diverse, urban school district. Four measurement formats were examined including, 2 broad-based (i.e., self-report questionnaire and teacher ratings) and 2 task-specific measures (i.e., SRL microanalysis and behavioral traces). Convergent validity was examined across task-difficulty, and the predictive validity was examined across 3 mathematics outcomes: 2 measures of mathematical problem solving skill (i.e., practice session math problems, posttest math problems) and a global measure of mathematical skill (i.e., standardized math test). Correlation analyses were used to examine convergent validity and revealed medium correlations between measures within the same category (i.e., broad-based or task-specific). Relations between measurement classes were not statistically significant. Separate regressions examined the predictive validity of the SRL measures. While controlling all other predictors, a SRL microanalysis metacognitive-monitoring measure emerged as a significant predictor of all 3 outcomes and teacher ratings accounted for unique variance on 2 of the outcomes (i.e., posttest math problems and standardized math test). Results suggest that a multidimensional assessment approach should be considered by school psychologists interested in measuring SRL. (PsycINFO Database Record

Examining the Role of Self-Regulated Learning Microanalysis in the Assessment of Learners’ Regulation

ABSTRACTWe examined the degree of convergence among self-regulated learning microanalysis, measures of metacognitive monitoring, and a self-regulated learning questionnaire during reading. Participants' reported strategy use during reading, as measured by self-regulated learning microanalysis, was significantly related to scores on a self-regulated learning questionnaire. Self-monitoring on the microanalytic protocol was significantly related to a measure of metacognitive monitoring as well as to participants' item-level confidence judgments. Participants who made strategy attributions for performance tended to have higher scores on the measure of reading comprehension. Strategic planning and strategy use during reading of the text also predicted comprehension. Implications and future directions for the study of self-regulated learning microanalysis are discussed.

Anchoring the Creative Process Within a Self-Regulated Learning Framework: Inspiring Assessment Methods and Future Research

Creativity supports the advancement of all disciplines, providing both individual and societal benefits. Most individuals can demonstrate and improve their creativity; therefore, understanding the creative process is of particular interest to facilitate deliberate development of creative thinkers. Despite copious research of the creative process, the work tends to be fragmented without a unified, general theoretical foundation. Historically, creative process research has examined the steps that creative people use, while overlooking how people learn these steps and the mechanisms behind the process. This paper proposes to situate the creative process within broader theoretical framework of self-regulated learning (SRL). This merger emphasizes that the creative process can be learned and that creative process strategies may inspire general learning strategies. Further, the SRL framework provides an organizational structure that illuminates gaps in current research and provides inspiration for new measurement techniques. Current assessment methods are often unable to determine how people regulate themselves throughout the creative process, specifically how internal psychological processes, external behaviors, and explicit strategies influence the creative process; however, SRL measurement techniques, like SRL microanalysis interviews, may provide an opportunity to identify intervention casual mechanisms, extend experimental studies, provide consistent variables to compare across disciplines and studies, and help practitioners assess students’ creative process.

Applying self-regulated learning microanalysis to study musicians’ practice

This article describes the development of a music practice microanalysis protocol that is based on the three-phase model of self-regulated learning (i.e., Forethought, Performance, and Self-Reflection). Up until now, most studies on music practice have tended to focus on behavioural aspects. The expanded view presented here outlines a technique for mapping the types of behaviours (actions), cognition (thoughts), and affect (feelings) that can help focus musicians’ practice. To explain the technique, we describe the practice of two first year Bachelor of Music students studying at a prominent university music school who are compared at three time points across one semester as they prepare an étude for a performance exam. These case studies demonstrate two broadly contrasting self-regulated learning profiles of how microanalysis can be used to cue students to think about what they are doing and then reflect critically on the strategies they can use to improve their playing. As a technique, microanalysis can inform educational interventions aimed at breaking the cycle of habits that typify musical practice by encouraging musicians to become more behaviourally, metacognitively, and motivationally involved in their own learning.

Erratum to: Self-regulated learning microanalysis as a tool to inform professional development delivery in real-time

Elementary teachers in the United States are tasked with teaching all core subject matter and have training that involves many topics, which may limit the depth of their subject matter knowledge. Since they have low content knowledge, they often feel less confident about teaching technical subject matter, such as science (Bleicher Journal of Science Teacher Education 17:165–187, 2006). The problem of low confidence of elementary teachers for science instruction is exacerbated when they are expected to teach science using inquiry (Hanuscin et al. Science Education 95:145–167, 2010). Self-regulated learning microanalysis, which supports both instruction and assessment, can help teachers reflect on their learning processes. This technique may provide clues for teachers to improve strategies for learning and give information to professional development instructors to inform teacher professional development experiences. The purpose of this study was to examine self-regulatory learning cycles that fourteen elementary teachers experienced while engaged in learning about inquiry during a professional development. Results of this study showed that before the professional development, teachers reported low self-efficacy but high task value and perceived instrumentality for learning about inquiry. As the professional development progressed, teachers improved their goal setting skills, self-monitoring performance, and learning tactics. The self-regulated learning microanalysis revealed information not communicated in the professional development experience, which led to adaptation of the activities in real-time to meet the needs indicated on the self-regulated learning microanalysis reports. Measuring teacher learning processes allowed the professional development instructors to pinpoint difficulties and successes during the learning tasks, which aided in precise adaptation of experiences for teacher needs.

Self-regulated learning microanalysis as a tool to inform professional development delivery in real-time

Self-regulated learning microanalysis as a tool to inform professional development delivery in real-time

Examining shifts in medical students' microanalytic motivation beliefs and regulatory processes during a diagnostic reasoning task.

This study examined within-group shifts in the motivation beliefs and regulatory processes of second-year medical students as they engaged in a diagnostic reasoning activity. Using a contextualized assessment methodology called self-regulated learning microanalysis, the authors found that the 71 medical student participants showed statistically significant and relatively robust declines in their self-efficacy beliefs and strategic regulatory processes following negative feedback about their performance on the diagnostic reasoning task. Descriptive statistics revealed that changes in strategic thinking following negative corrective feedback were most characterized by shifts away from task-specific processes (e.g., integration, differentiating diagnoses) to non-task related factors. Implications and areas for future research are presented and discussed.

When I say … self-regulated learning

‘We now accept the fact that learning is a lifelong process of keeping abreast of change. And the most pressing task is to teach people how to learn.’1 I recently met an undergraduate student who had failed his first examination at medical school. He was surprised by his failure because he had attended the same lectures as everyone else and had read the same handouts. Have you ever wondered why some people struggle to learn? An important reason is likely to be their approach to learning. Self-regulated learning (SRL) theory offers a useful perspective that can help tutors understand learners' difficulties and offer structured support. The importance of this perspective has been long acknowledged in childhood education and is now increasingly recognised in medical education.2 Self-regulated learning theory considers the extent to which learners are active participants in their own learning processes. The basic tenet of SRL theory is that effective learning is accomplished through the continuous and dynamic adjustment of specific motivational and cognitive components that enable the learner to achieve particular learning goals, both academic and clinical.3 Prior to learning, effective learners assess the learning task and consider how they might use strategies to successfully achieve the task. An important aspect of SRL is that successful learners adjust their motivational beliefs, such as by making a given topic relevant to their personal interests or by thinking about previous occasions when they were successful with similar learning tasks, and select appropriate cognitive strategies, such as the study technique of reading each paragraph in turn or listing a clear sequence of initial questions with which to obtain a clinical history. During learning or clinical performance, effective learners self-monitor by increasing their awareness of whether they are on track to achieve their intended goals. Checking allows them to make constant adjustments to their chosen motivational or cognitive strategies to ensure that these strategies are working. After the learning task, highly self-regulated learners reflect on their performance and consider whether they might need to modify their approach to the task if and when they face future attempts at learning. An important aspect of this phase is that highly self-regulated learners generally attribute their successes to factors that are within their control, such as the choice of specific strategies, whereas ineffective learners tend to attribute their lack of success to factors outside their control; for example, an ineffective learner might claim that ‘the contents of the chapter were not clear’ or ‘the patient was not typical’. It is important to note that learners may be highly self-regulated in one context but not in another. Like most academic skills, SRL is context-specific. I was able to provide the failing undergraduate to whom I referred earlier with some insight into how he approached learning by using SRL microanalysis. This type of microanalysis involves a structured interview process in which focused questions are used to help identify key SRL processes while the learner is actively engaged in an authentic learning task.4 I gave the student a few pages of lecture notes and asked him to study them. As implied by SRL theory, the student was not adopting a strategic approach to his learning. I was able to ascertain that the student did not have a specific study technique, that he did not check his understanding during the task and that he attributed his lack of success to the content being ‘too difficult’. These findings allowed me to provide focused feedback to the student so that he could improve his use of the SRL processes he had previously underutilised. Many scholars believe that SRL theory has the potential to develop lifelong learners who can successfully respond to the variety of learning challenges they will face in their careers. It is now time to ensure that this potential can be fully realised.

Assessing self-regulatory processes during clinical skill performance: A pilot study

Background: Self-regulated learning (SRL) is a cyclical process involving the proactive use of strategies and feedback to optimise performance. Previous research has used SRL microanalysis to assess and inform the training of athletic skills but there has been no previous research in clinical contexts.Aims: The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the use SRL microanalysis to assess the regulatory profiles of students who were successful and unsuccessful in a venipuncture task.Method: A SRL microanalysis protocol was administered to seven 3rd-year undergraduate medical students whilst they performed a venipuncture on a simulation mannequin arm.Results: The use of SRL microanalytic questions had good inter-rater reliability. Students who were successful in venipuncture had high levels of strategic thinking before, during and after the clinical task, whereas the students who struggled on this task tended to focus on outcomes.Conclusions: The results shown in this study mirror the findings from previous research using SRL microanalysis. SRL microanalysis has strong potential as a structured assessment technique targeting the self-regulatory processes underlying clinical skill performance. Further research is recommended, especially on how the assessment of self-regulatory skills can be used to guide training for struggling students.

Perspective: Viewing “Strugglers” Through a Different Lens: How a Self-Regulated Learning Perspective Can Help Medical Educators With Assessment and Remediation

Medical educators are responsible for training current and future generations of physicians; this includes the early and accurate identification of "struggling" medical trainees, which has implications for future training, practice, and success.The authors propose a theory-based framework, Self-Regulated Learning-Microanalytic Assessment and Training (SRL-MAT), that is specifically designed to foster individual medical trainee self-regulatory beliefs and behaviors, and thus provide a distinct method to assist medical trainees who struggle. The SRL-MAT is grounded in social-cognitive theory and research and makes a variety of important assumptions about learning and the essential techniques needed to evaluate trainee functioning. Two critical assumptions are that (1) self-efficacy beliefs are a key personal process affecting trainee behavior, and (2) trainee beliefs and behaviors are dynamic and fluid in nature and thus will often vary across educational contexts, as well as for specific tasks within those contexts. To address these assumptions, the SRL-MAT uses an emergent assessment approach called self-regulated learning microanalysis, a procedure that involves asking a series of temporally sequenced questions about specific regulatory processes as trainees engage in an authentic task or activity. The framework, which is grounded in a foundation of established educational research, is adaptable to practically any task that has a clear beginning and end. The authors believe this framework could make important contributions to traditional medical training assessment frameworks that have been used to identify and remediate strugglers.