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Friends, classmates, and self-regulated learning: discussions with peers inside and outside the classroom

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Abstract

The current study sought to understand the relationship between peer discussions and self-regulated learning. Eighty-eight first year high school students answered questions from the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire and reported the perceived frequency of discussions with peers both inside and outside of the classroom regarding self-regulated learning. Results suggest that differences exist between the frequency of self-regulation discussions with peers from inside and outside of the classroom, especially for discussions concerning motivation. Discussions with peers outside of class were related more closely to students’ reported self-regulated learning than discussion with peers inside of class. In addition, peer groups with higher average levels of self-regulated learning discussions had individual members with high reported self-regulated learning. The study’s results also highlight the need for further research on the mechanisms by which peer discussions may relate to students’ self-regulated learning.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Carolyn Estell, Tom Farmer, and Genny Williamson for their support and insight on this work. We also thank all students and staff who kindly participated in the study. Portions of this work were completed during Martin Jones’ time at Indiana University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology, and Research, University of Memphis, 100 Ball Hall, Memphis, TN, 38152, USA

    Martin H. Jones

  2. Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA

    David B. Estell & Joyce M. Alexander

Authors
  1. Martin H. Jones
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  2. David B. Estell
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  3. Joyce M. Alexander
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Correspondence to Martin H. Jones.

Appendices

Appendix 1

Frequency of discussions with in-class peers

  1. 1.

    When you talk to your math classmates, how often do you talk about your enjoyment of math?

    All the time Sometimes Not sure Rarely Never

  2. 2.

    When you talk to your math classmates, how often do you talk about math helping you in the future?

  3. 3.

    How often do you mention whether you think you are good at math with your math classmates?

  4. 4.

    When you talk with your math classmates, how often do you share tips or strategies that help you do math?

  5. 5.

    Do you and your math classmates quiz each other to see if you all understand what you learned in class?

  6. 6.

    How often do you and your math classmates talk about how long it takes you to do your math homework?

  7. 7.

    How often do and your math classmates talk about getting help from your teacher?

Appendix 2

Frequency of discussions with outside of school peers

  1. 1.

    How often do you and your group of friends talk about your enjoyment of school?

    All the time Sometimes Not sure Rarely Never

  2. 2.

    When you talk to your friends, do you talk about how school will help you in the future?

  3. 3.

    How often do you mention whether you think you are good at school with your friends?

  4. 4.

    When you talk with your friends, how often do you share tips or strategies that help you learn?

  5. 5.

    Do you and your friends quiz each other before an exam to see if you understand the material?

  6. 6.

    How often do you and your friends talk about how long it will take you to do your schoolwork?

  7. 7.

    How often do and your friends talk about getting help for school?

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Jones, M.H., Estell, D.B. & Alexander, J.M. Friends, classmates, and self-regulated learning: discussions with peers inside and outside the classroom. Metacognition Learning 3, 1–15 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11409-007-9007-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11409-007-9007-8

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