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How and with what accuracy do children report self-regulated learning in contemporary EFL instructional settings?

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Abstract

This study aimed to understand how children reflect about learning, report their regulation of learning activity, and develop their performance in contemporary English as a Foreign Language instructional settings. A quasi-experimental design was used with one experimental group working in a self-regulated learning computer-supported instructional setting and two control groups (the first with self-regulated learning and no computer support, the latter with no training) with process diary data and pre- and posttests (diary task entries, n = 440). A multilevel linear analysis of the diary data showed diverse growth rates of self-regulated learning activity throughout time between the three groups. Item Response Theory demonstrated that a higher percentage of children in the experimental group were accurate in their reports than the other groups. Results from pre- and posttests showed that the children in the experimental group wrote more specific and relevant comments when reporting their reflections and had better language performance. Implications for practice and recommendations for future research are discussed.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Professor Barry Zimmerman for his guidance and expert suggestions, as well as Professors Ronald Heck and Cícero Pereira for their expert assistance with the multilevel modeling. We would also like to thank the editor and reviewers for their pertinent comments in developing this manuscript. This study was funded by The Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (SFRH/BD/61078/2009).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Psychology, University of Lisbon, Alameda da Universidade, 1649-013, Lisbon, Portugal

    P. Costa Ferreira, A. M. Veiga Simão & A. Lopes da Silva

Authors
  1. P. Costa Ferreira
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  2. A. M. Veiga Simão
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  3. A. Lopes da Silva
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to P. Costa Ferreira.

Additional information

Paula da Costa Ferreira is a post-doc researcher in Educational Psychology at the Faculty of Psychology of the University of Lisbon with a research grant from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (SFRH/BPD/110695/2015). She is also a researcher at the Research Center for Psychological Science (CICPSI), specifically within the research area of Educational and Vocational Psychology, and is the supervising researcher of the research line Cyberbullying. She has a Master’s Degree in Education and a PhD in Educational Psychology. Her main research interests focus on self-regulation of learning with children in different learning environments, as well as the evaluation of self-regulated learning through the use of instruments for assessing processes. Her research interests also include the self-regulation of behavior through language and cyberbullying in schools. E-mail: paula.costa.ferreira@gmail.com.

5 Representative publications

Ferreira, P., Veiga Simão, A.M., Ferreira, A., Souza, S., & Francisco, S. (2016). Student bystander behavior and cultural issues in cyberbullying: when actions speak louder than words. Computers in Human Behavior, 60, 301-311. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2016.02.059

Ferreira, P., Veiga Simão, A.M., & Lopes da Silva, A. (2015). Does training in how to regulate one’s learning affect how students report self-regulated learning in diary tasks? Metacognition and Learning. 10(2), 199-230. doi:10.1007/s11409-014-9121-3.

Ferreira, P.C., Veiga Simão, A.M., & Lopes da Silva, A. (2015). The unidimensionality and overestimation of metacognitive awareness in children: validating the CATOM. Anales de Psicologia, 31(3). doi: 10.6018/analesps.31.3.184221

Ferreira, A., Rodrigues, R., & Ferreira, P. C. (2015). Career interests of students in psychology specialties degrees: psychometric evidence and correlations with the RIASEC dimensions. International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance. 1-21. doi: 10.1007/s10775-015-9289-3.

Francisco, S.M., Veiga Simão, A. M., Ferreira, P.C., Martins, M. J. (2015). Cyberbullying: the hidden side of college students. Computers in Human Behavior, 43, 167-182. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2014.10.045.

Matos, M. G., Tomé, G., Borges, A.I., Manso, D., Costa Ferreira, P., & Ferreira, A.I. (2008). Anxiety, depression, and coping strategies: improving the evaluation and the understanding of these dimensions during pré-adolescence and adolescence. Journal of Cognitive and Behavioral Psychotherapies, 8(2), 169-184.

Ana Margarida Vieira da Veiga Simão is an associate professor with aggregation at the Faculty of Psychology of the University of Lisbon. She is also the coordinator of the Interuniversity Doctoral Program in Psychology, specializing in Educational Psychology of the Universities of Lisbon and Coimbra. She is a researcher of the Research Group called Self-Regulation: Procedures for Assessment and Intervention of the Research Center for Psychological Science (CICPSI), is the coordinator of the research area of Educational and Vocational Psychology, and is the supervising researcher of the Program for the Study of self-regulated learning (PEAAR). Her main research interests are the processes of self-regulation of learning, professional development of teachers teaching in Higher Education, and violence in an educational context. E-mail: amsimao@psicologia.ulisboa.pt

5 Representative publications

Ferreira, P.C., Veiga Simão, A.M., & Lopes da Silva, A. (2015). Does training in how to regulate one’s learning affect how students report self-regulated learning in diary tasks? Metacognition and Learning. 10(2), 199-230. doi:10.1007/s11409-014-9121-3.

Ferreira, P.C., Veiga Simão, A.M., & Lopes da Silva, A. (2015). The unidimensionality and overestimation of metacognitive awareness in children: validating the CATOM. Anales de Psicologia, 31(3). doi: 10.6018/analesps.31.3.184221.

Francisco, S.M., Veiga Simão, A. M., Ferreira, P.C., Martins, M. J. (2015). Cyberbullying: the hidden side of college students. Computers in Human Behavior, 43, 167-182. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2014.10.045.

Flores, A., Veiga Simão, A. M., Barros, A., & Pereira, D. (2015). Perceptions of effectiveness, fairness and feedback of assessment methods: a study in higher education. Studies in Higher Education, 40 (9), 1523-1534 .http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2014.881348.

Malpique, A. A. & Veiga Simão, A. M. (2015). Assessing self-regulated strategies for school writing: cross-cultural validation of a triadic measure. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 33 (2),141-153. doi:10.1177/0734282914547873.

Adelina Lopes da Silva is a retired full professor of the Faculty of Psychology of the University of Lisbon. She is the supervising researcher of the research program entitled Self-Regulation: Procedures for Assessment and Intervention of the Research Center for Psychological Science (CICPSI). She is the supervising researcher of the Program for the Study of self-regulated learning (PEAAR). Her main research interests are the processes of self-regulation in the areas of learning and health, with special emphasis on the role of metacognitive, motivational, and emotional stimulation and the development of self-regulation. E-mail: ansilva@psicologia.ulisboa.pt

5 Representative publications

Ferreira, P.C., Veiga Simão, A.M., & Lopes da Silva, A. (2015). Does training in how to regulate one’s learning affect how students report self-regulated learning in diary tasks? Metacognition and Learning. 10(2), 199-230. doi:10.1007/s11409-014-9121-3.

Ferreira, P.C., Veiga Simão, A.M., & Lopes da Silva, A. (2015). The unidimensionality and overestimation of metacognitive awareness in children: validating the CATOM. Anales de Psicologia, 31(3). doi: 10.6018/analesps.31.3.184221.

Paulino, P. &. Lopes da Silva, A. (2011), Knowing how to learn and how to teach motivation: contributions from self-regulation of motivation to more a effective learning. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences 29, 646-655.

Ferreira, P.C., Veiga Simão, A. M., Lopes da Silva, A., Duarte, F., & Ferreira, A. (2009). Propriedades psicométricas do Telestudents-SRL. Implicações nas percepções dos alunos. Psicologia, Educação e Cultura, XIII(1), 33-54.

Lopes da Silva, A., Veiga Simão, A.M., & Sá, I. (2004). A auto-regulação da aprendizagem: estudos teóricos e empíricos. Intermeio. Universidade Federal do Mato Grosso do Sul. Campo Grande, MS, 10 (19), 59-74.

Appendices

Appendix 1

Description of the Lessons of the experimental group

Appendix 2

Table 4

Table 4 Frequencies and examples of students’ responses to the open-ended questions in the pretest and posttest
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Ferreira, P.C., Simão, A.M.V. & da Silva, A.L. How and with what accuracy do children report self-regulated learning in contemporary EFL instructional settings?. Eur J Psychol Educ 32, 589–615 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-016-0313-x

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