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Collaborative learning groups’ adoption of shared metacognitive regulation: examining the impact of structuring versus reflection-provoking support and its relation with group performance

European Journal of Psychology of Education volume 36, pages 1075–1094 (2021)Cite this article

Abstract

This study investigates (1) the impact of structuring versus reflection-provoking support on university students’ adoption of socially shared metacognitive regulation (SSMR) during face-to-face peer tutoring (PT) and (2) the relation between SSMR and group performance. A quasi-experimental design was adopted, involving 72 educational sciences students who were randomly assigned to PT-groups of six. Each group was provided with either structuring (SS) or reflection-provoking (RS) support. The training and closing PT-session of six groups in each support condition were videotaped (48 h). SSMR was studied by means of systematic observation of video-recorded PT sessions, whereas PT groups’ score on the assignment during the last PT session served as performance measure. The results revealed only significant differences in SSMR between both support conditions, when the proportion of students actively involved in SSMR, was taken into consideration. More specifically, PT groups in the RS condition revealed significantly more SSMR in which (nearly) all students are engaged, as compared with PT groups in the SS condition. The correlational analyses further indicated that only SSMR representing a high participation degree of (nearly) all students is significantly positively related to PT groups’ performance.

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Fig. 1

Notes

  1. Given that the empirical research on both shared regulation (social dimension of regulation of cognition, motivation, and behavior during learning) and SSMR (social dimension of regulation of cognition), is only currently unfolding, the available literature on the effectiveness or support mechanisms is not always exclusively focused on SSMR. We aimed at explicating differences in research foci as much as possible and therefore adopt the terms “shared (metacognitive) regulation” or “shared regulation” when previous findings are not exclusively applicable to SSMR

  2. In total, twelve groups of six students and two groups of five students were involved in the RPT intervention. Given that the video equipment was limited, we opted for recording the RPT sessions of the groups consisting of six students, in order to maximize the comparability among the groups included in the present study.

  3. Although the relation between the dependent variable and the covariate was linear for all three models tested, it should be noted that some correlations were low (i.e., R2 ranging from .201 to .534).

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Funding

This study was supported by the Special Research Fund (BOF) Ghent University under grant BOF17/PDO/025.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Educational Studies, Ghent University, H. Dunantlaan 2, 9000, Ghent, Belgium

    Liesje De Backer, Hilde Van Keer & Martin Valcke

Authors
  1. Liesje De Backer
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  2. Hilde Van Keer
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  3. Martin Valcke
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Liesje De Backer.

Additional information

Liesje De Backer. Department of Educational Studies, Ghent University, H. Dunantlaan 2, Ghent 9000, Belgium. E-mail: Liesje.DeBacker@UGent.be

Current themes of research:

Self-regulated learning and shared metacognitive regulation. Collaborative learning in higher education. Process-oriented analysis. Intervention studies.

Most relevant publications in the field of Psychology Education:

De Backer, L., Van Keer, H., Moerkerke, B., & Valcke, M. (2016). Examining evolutions in the adoption of metacognitive regulation in reciprocal peer tutoring groups. Metacognition and Learning, 11, 187-213.

De Backer, L., Van Keer, H., & Valcke, M. (2012). Exploring the potential impact of reciprocal peer tutoring on higher education students’ metacognitive knowledge and metacognitive regulation. Instructional Science, 40, 559-588.

De Backer, L., Van Keer, H., & Valcke, M. (2016). Eliciting reciprocal peer tutoring groups’ metacognitive regulation through structuring and problematizing scaffolds. The Journal of Experimental Education, 84, 804-828.

Hilde Van Keer. Department of Educational Studies, Ghent University, H. Dunantlaan 2, Ghent 9000, Belgium. E-mail: Hilde.VanKeer@UGent.be

Current themes of research:

Learning and instruction of reading and writing. Self-regulated learning. Peer learning. Intervention research.

Most relevant publications in the field of Psychology Education:

De Smedt, F., Merchie, E., Barendse, M., Rosseel, Y., De Naeghel, J., & Van Keer, H. (2018). Cognitive and motivational challenges in writing: studying the relation with writing performance across students’ gender and achievement level. Reading Research Quarterly, 53, 249–272.

De Backer, L., Van Keer, H., & Valcke, M. (2015). Exploring evolutions in reciprocal peer tutoring groups’ socially shared metacognitive regulation and identifying its metacognitive correlates. Learning and Instruction, 38, 63–78.

Vandevelde, S., Van Keer, H., Schellings, G., & Van Hout-Wolters, B.. (2015). Using think-aloud protocol analysis to gain in-depth insights into upper primary school children’s self-regulated learning. Learning and Individual Differences, 43, 11–30.

Martin Valcke. Department of Educational Studies, Ghent University, H. Dunantlaan 2, Ghent 9000, Belgium. E-mail: Martin.Valcke@UGent.be

Current themes of research:

Innovation in higher education. Integrated use of Information and Communication Technologies. Teacher education. Learning approaches.

Most relevant publications in the field of Psychology Education:

Castillo, J.N., Derluyn, I., & Valcke, M. (2019). Student teachers’ cognitions to integrate comprehensive sexual education into their future teaching practices in Ecuador. Teaching and Teacher Education, 79, 38-47.

De Coninck, K., Valcke, M., & Vanderlinde, R. (2018). A measurement of student teachers’ parent-teacher communication competences: The design of a video-based instrument. Journal of Education for Teaching, 44, 333-352.

Thuy, N., De Wever, B., & Valcke, M. (2017). The impact of a flipped classroom design on learning performance in higher education: Looking for the best ‘blend’ of lectures and guiding questions with feedback. Computers & Education, 107, 113-126.

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Appendix 1

Appendix 1

Table 3 Illustrated summary of the adopted coding strategy
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De Backer, L., Van Keer, H. & Valcke, M. Collaborative learning groups’ adoption of shared metacognitive regulation: examining the impact of structuring versus reflection-provoking support and its relation with group performance. Eur J Psychol Educ 36, 1075–1094 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-020-00511-3

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Keywords

  • Shared regulation
  • Metacognitive support
  • Performance
  • Collaborative learning
  • Higher education