Abstract
Self-regulation is generally accepted as an important construct in student success within environments that allow learner choice, such as online courses. The purpose of the current study was to investigate differences between first- and second-generation college students' ability to self-regulate their online learning. An ANCOVA, with comfort level using the computer as a control, provided evidence that first-generation students report significantly lower levels of self-regulation for online learning than their second-generation counterparts.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Al-Khaldi, M. A., and Al-Jabri, I. M. (1998). The relationship of attitudes to computer utilization: New evidence from a developing nation. Computers in Human Behavior 14(1): 23–42.
Bandura, A. (1986). Social Foundations of Thought and Action, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ.
Bandura, A. (1989). The multidimensional self-efficacy scales. Unpublished test, Stanford University, Stanford, CA.
Bandura, A. (1997). Self-Efficacy: The Exercise of Control, W. H. Freeman, New York.
Blau, P., and Duncan, O. D. (1967). The American Occupational Structure, John Wiley, New York.
Bouffard-Bouchard, T., Parent, S., and Larivee, S. (1991). Influence of self-efficacy on self-regulation and performance among junior and senior high-school age students. International Journal of Behavioral Development 14(2): 153–164.
Dabbagh, N., and Kitsantas, A. (2002). Supporting self-regulation in student-centered web-based learning environments. World Conference on E-Learning in Corp., Govt., Health, & Higher Ed. 2002(1): 1366–1369.
Hattie, J. A., Biggs, J., and Purdie, N. (1996). Effects of learning skills intervention on student learning: A meta-analysis. Review of Research in Education 66(2): 99–136.
Hellman, C. M., and Harbeck, D. J. (1996). Academic self-efficacy: Highlighting the first-generation student. Journal of Applied Research in the Community College 4(2): 69–75.
Hill, J. R., and Hannafin, M. J. (1997). Cognitive strategies and learning from the World Wide Web. Educational Technology Research and Development 45(4): 37–64.
Joo, Y. J., Bong, M., and Choi, H. J. (2000). Self-efficacy for self-regulated learning, academic self-efficacy, and Internet self-efficacy in web-based instruction. Educational Technology Research & Development 48(2): 5–17.
Keppel, G. (1991). Design and Analysis: A Researcher's Handbook (3rd Ed.), Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ.
Lan, W. Y. (1998). Teaching self-monitoring skills in statistics. In: Schunk, D. H., and Zimmerman, B. J. (eds.), Self-Regulated Learning: From Teaching to Self-Reflective Practice, Guilford Press, New York, pp. 86–105.
Land, S. M., and Greene, B. A. (2000). Project based learning with the World Wide Web: A qualitative study of resource integration. Educational Technology Research & Development 48(1): 45–68.
Ley, K., and Young, D. B. (2001). Instructional principles for self-regulation. Educational Technology Research and Development 49(2): 93–103.
London, H. B. (1989). Breaking away: A study of first-generation college students and their families. American Journal of Education 97(2): 144–170.
London, H. B. (1992). Transformations: Cultural challenges faced by first-generation students. In: Zwerling, L. S., and London, H. B. (eds.), First-Generation Students: Confronting the Cultural Issues, New Directions for Community Colleges 80(Winter), Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, pp. 5–11.
London, H. B. (1996). How college affects first-generation students. About Campus 1(5): 9–13, 23.
McMahon, M., Cowan, E., and Oliver, R. (2001). Promoting self-regulated learning in an on-line environment. World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia and Telecommunications 2001(1): 1299–1305.
McManus, T. F. (2000). Individualizing instruction in a web based hypermedia learning environment: Nonlinearity, advance organizers, and self-regulated learners. Journal of Interactive Learning Research 11(2): 219–251.
Nunez, A. M., and Cuccaro-Alamin, S. (1998). First-generation college students: Undergraduates whose parents never enrolled in postsecondary education. Report No. NCES 98-082, National Center for Educational Statistics, Washington, DC.
Pintrich, P. R., and De Groot, E. V. (1990). Motivational and self-regulated learning components of classroom academic performance. Journal of Educational Psychology 82(1): 33–40.
Pintrich, P. R., and Schrauben, B. (1992). Students' motivational beliefs and their cognitive engagement in classroom academic tasks. In: Schunk, D. H., and Meece, J. L. (eds.), Student Perceptions in the Classroom, Erlbaum, Hillsdale, NJ, pp. 149–183.
Piorkowski, G. K. (1983). Survivor guilt in the university setting. The Personnel and Guidance Journal 61(10): 620–621.
Pratt, P. A., and Skaggs, C. T. (1989). First generation college students: Are they at greater risk of attrition than their peers? Research in Rural Education 6(2): 31–34.
Pressley, M., and Ghatala, E. S. (1990). Self-regulated learning: monitoring learning from text. Educational Psychologist 25(1) : 19–33.
Riehl, R. J. (1994). The academic preparation, aspirations, and first-year performance of first-generation students. College and University 70(1): 14–19.
Schunk, D. H. (1989). Self-efficacy and cognitive skill learning. In: Ames, C., and Ames, R. (eds.), Research on Motivation in Education. Vol. 3. Goals and Cognitions, Academic Press, San Diego, pp. 13–44.
Schunk, D. H. (1990). Goal setting and self-efficacy during self-regulated learning. Educational Psychologist 25(1): 71–86.
Schunk, D. H. (1996). Learning Theories: An Educational Perspective (2nd Ed.), Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ.
Schunk, D. H. (1998). Teaching elementary students to self-regulate practice of mathematical skills with modeling. In: Schunk, D. H., and Zimmerman, B. J. (eds.), Self-Regulated Learning: From Teaching to Self-Reflective Practice, Guilford Press, New York, pp. 137–159.
Schunk, D. H., and Ertmer, P. A. (2000). Self-regulation and academic learning: Self-efficacy enhancing interventions. In: Boekaerts, M., Pintrich, P. R., and Zeidner, M. (eds.), Handbook of Self-Regulation, Academic Press, San Diego, pp. 631–649.
Schunk, D. H., and Zimmerman, B. J. (1996). Modeling and self-efficacy influences on children's development of self-regulation. In: Juvonen, J., and Wentzel, K. R. (eds.), Social Motivation: Understanding Children's School Adjustment, Cambridge University Press, New York, pp. 154–180.
Steinberg, L. (1996). Beyond the Classroom, Simon & Schuster, New York.
Stevens, J. (1996). Applied Multivariate Statistics for the Social Sciences (3rd Ed.), Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, NJ.
Strage, A. (1998). Family context variables and the development of self-regulation in college students. Adolescence 33(129): 17–33.
Terenzini, P. T., Rendon, L. I., Upcraft, M. L., Millar, S. B., Allison, K. W., Gregg, P. L., and Jalomo, R. (1994). The transition to college: Diverse students, diverse stories. Research in Higher Education 35: 57–73.
Terenzini, P. T., Springer, L., Yaeger, P. M., Pascarella, E. T., and Nora, A. (1996). First-generation college students: Characteristics, experiences, and cognitive development. Research in Higher Education 37: 1–22.
United States General Accounting Office (GAO; 2002). Distance Education: Growth in distance education programs and implications for federal education policy. Statement of Cornelia M. Ashby, Director of Education, Workforce, and Income Security Issues, GAO-02-1125T [Online]. Available: http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d021125t.pdf
Williams, J. E., and Hellman, C. M. (1998). Investigating self-regulated learning among first-generation community college students. Journal of Applied Research in the Community College 5(2): 83–87.
York-Anderson, D. C., and Bowman, S. L. (1991). Assessing the college knowledge of first generation and second-generation college students. Journal of College Student Development 32(2): 116–122.
Young, J. D. (1996). The effect of self-regulated learning strategies on performance in learner controlled computer-based instruction. Educational Technology, Research and Development 44(2): 17–27.
Zimmerman, B. J. (1990). Self-regulating academic learning and achievement: The emergence of a social cognitive perspective. Educational Psychology Review 2(2): 173–201.
Zimmerman, B. J. (1998). Developing Self-Fulfilling Cycles of Academic Regulation: An analysis of Exemplary Instructional Models. In: Schunk, D. H., and Zimmerman, B. J. (eds.), Self-Regulated Learning: From Teaching to Self-Reflective Practice, Guilford Press, New York, pp. 1–19.
Zimmerman, B. J. (2000). Attaining self-regulation: A social cognitive perspective. In: Boekaerts, M., Pintrich, P. R., and Zeidner, M. (eds.), Handbook of Self-Regulation, Academic Press, San Diego, pp. 13–39.
Zimmerman, B. J., and Bandura, A. (1994). Impact of self-regulatory influences on writing course attainment. American Educational Research Journal 31(4): 845–862.
Zimmerman, B. J., and Paulsen, A. S. (1995). Self-monitoring during collegiate studying: An invaluable tool for academic self-regulation. In: Pintrich, P. (ed.), New Directions in College Teaching and Learning: Understanding Self-Regulated Learning (No. 63,Fall), Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, pp. 13–27.
Zimmerman, M. C. (2002). Academic Self-Regulation Explains Persistence and Attrition in Web-Based Courses: A Grounded Theory. Doctoral dissertation, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Williams, P.E., Hellman, C.M. Differences in Self-Regulation for Online Learning Between First- and Second-Generation College Students. Research in Higher Education 45, 71–82 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:RIHE.0000010047.46814.78
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:RIHE.0000010047.46814.78
