Self-regulating academic learning and achievement: The emergence of a social cognitive perspective

Strategic Learning Strategies of Doctor of Physical Therapy Students

INTRODUCTION

The use of strategic learning strategies has been positively associated with academic performance in several graduate health profession programs. This finding suggests that it may be an important construct to explore in Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) education. The Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI) summarizes a student's perception and use of 10 learning and study strategies.

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Although the LASSI has limited reporting in DPT education, other health care education programs have shown correlation with academic performance. The purpose of this study was to examine DPT students' early perceptions of strategic learning with descriptive summaries of LASSI data and examine correlations between demographic and admissions-related data.

SUBJECTS

Matriculated DPT students (n = 294) at a 2-year hybrid program who completed the LASSI at orientation in 2020 and 2021.

METHODS

This was a descriptive study that retrospectively analyzed LASSI scores in entry-level DPT students. LASSI score differences among demographic groups and Spearman's rho correlations between the LASSI, Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores, grade point averages, grit, and emotional intelligence (EI) were explored.

RESULTS

LASSI score means were in the 50th-75th percentile (moderate category) suggesting a need for further development in strategic learning. Group differences in LASSI scores were noted for gender identity (male higher Anxiety management, P < .001; female higher Attitude, P < .001, Time Management, P = .003, and Use of Academic Resources, P = .003), racial-ethnic minoritized group (higher Self-regulation, P = .013), first-generation college students (higher Attitude, P = .047), physical therapy assistants (higher Information Processing, P = .047), students with a primary language other than English (higher Time Management, P = .046), and older students (higher Anxiety management, P = .026). Weak but significant correlations were identified between LASSI scale and component scores and several admissions variables. Highest correlations were with grit (Will, ρ = 0.319, P < .001; Concentration, ρ = 0.312, P < .001), EI (Will, ρ = 0.328, P < .001; Attitude, ρ = 0.302, P < .001; Self-regulation, ρ = 0.382, P < .001; Use of Academic Resources ρ = 0.331, P < .001), and quantitative GRE scores (Anxiety management, ρ = 0.341, P < .001).

DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION

All LASSI scale scores and components were in the moderate category, potentially indicating a need to coach and develop strategic learning strategies. Group differences in LASSI scores may represent varied student needs. The weak relationship between LASSI scores and admissions variables could suggest that the constructs measured by LASSI are not currently captured through typical DPT admissions practices.

Guessing as a learning intervention: A meta-analytic review of the prequestion effect

Giving students test questions before they have learned the correct answers (i.e., prequestions) enhances learning. However, existing research has provided conflicting evidence on whether the benefits of prequestions are specific to the initially tested material or if they generalize to new, nontested material. In this review, we summarize the literature on the prequestion effect, describe the attention-based account underlying this effect, report a meta-analysis of the magnitude of the specific and general effects, and explore theoretically and empirically relevant moderator variables that influence the size and direction of the prequestion effect. This preregistered meta-analysis demonstrated a moderate specific effect (g = 0.54, k = 97) but a virtually nonexistent general effect (g = 0.04, k = 91). Overall, the attention-based account received support from some theoretically relevant moderator analyses. Future researchers are encouraged to conduct theoretically motivated studies to help clarify the mechanisms that underlie the attention-enhancing effects of prequestions and to explore the benefits of prequestions in educational domains to establish the extent to which these effects translate into the classroom.

Metacognition and polyregulation in daily self-control conflicts

Metacognition is important for self-regulated learning, and it has recently been argued that it may play an important role in self-control more generally. We studied multiple aspects of metacognition in self-control, namely metacognitive knowledge including a person's repertoire ("toolbox") of different self-regulatory strategies, metacognitive regulation (planning, monitoring, and evaluation), and polyregulation (using more self-regulatory strategies in a single self-control conflict) as predictors of people's self-control success in daily life. In a preregistered experience sampling study, N = 503 participants reported their self-control conflicts up to eight times per day for 10 days, yielding 9,639 reports of daily self-control conflicts. Analyses showed that higher levels of metacognitive knowledge, planning, monitoring, evaluation, and polyregulation as well as a larger strategy repertoire were associated with higher levels of success in resolving daily self-control conflicts. Additionally, higher levels of trait self-control were associated with higher levels of metacognitive knowledge, planning, and monitoring. These findings highlight the importance of metacognition and polyregulation for successful self-control.

Classic and modern models of self-regulated learning: integrative and componential analysis

Self-regulated learning (SRL) is considered a construct of great heuristic value and has attracted the attention of numerous researchers and inspired influential theoretical models. The objective of the present study was to provide an up-to-date, comparative and integrated description of the theoretical models of SRL used in current empirical research. For this purpose, we conducted a critical review of the scientific literature referring explicitly to any SRL model and we described, compared and integrated the processes and personal and situational dimensions considered in each model. The models have clearly evolved from focusing on cold self-regulation, conscious activity and individual functioning, to emphasising hot self-regulation and considering implicit activity and interindividual functioning. Among empirical research lines based on the most recent models, the following stand out: detailed analysis of SRL during its progress, the manifestation of SRL in diverse instructional formats and the role of affective/motivational self-regulation.

A Self-Regulation Intervention Conducted by Teachers in a Disadvantaged School Neighborhood: Implementers' and Observers' Perceptions of Its Impact on Elementary Students

Self-regulated learning contributes to students' academic success and their future as citizens. However, self-regulation skills are seldom or poorly promoted during instruction. To address this gap, the current article reports data on the implementation of an evidence-based intervention (i.e., a narrative-based intervention called "Yellow Trials and Tribulations") in a disadvantaged school neighborhood. Prior studies showed positive results of this intervention in promoting elementary students' self-regulation skills. Still, the data are mainly quantitative and limited to students' reports or classroom observations made by researchers. Hence, the current study aimed to explore the implementers' and observers' perceptions of the impact of the intervention. Four elementary teachers implemented the intervention in their fourth-grade classes (N = 96 students). For each session, the implementers and observers completed a session sheet collaboratively, as well as individual final reports at the end of the intervention. The records were analyzed through a direct content analysis. The data indicated a perceived increase in knowledge and the use of self-regulation skills in the educational context and in daily life routines. Moreover, the data allowed for the identification of other positive gains of the intervention. The findings extended prior research while helping researchers to further understand the impact of the narrative-based intervention. The implications for research and educational practice are provided.

Diversity of Strategies for Motivation in Learning (DSML)—A New Measure for Measuring Student Academic Motivation

Although the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) has been widely used to measure student motivation, researchers have raised questions regarding its length and several problematic statements. This study introduces a new questionnaire, adapting items from the MSLQ and including three new key themes of course utility, procrastination and use of diverse sources. A total of 1246 students from a university in the northwest of England, studying a range of subjects and from across all grade boundaries, fully completed the questionnaire. Factor analysis suggested a 24-item questionnaire, including 6 factors: test anxiety, self-efficacy, source diversity, study skills, self-regulation and course utility. The measure, Diversity of Strategies for Motivation in Learning (DSML), has good predictive power for students with or without academic successes, and it can be used as a quick and an early alert monitoring tool to measure student motivation and study skills. The DSML has supported various interventions; however, further testing is required in other cultures, languages and educational environments (such as schools and colleges).

Fostering regulatory processes using computational scaffolding

The use of computational scaffolding is a crucial strategy to foster students' regulation of learning skills, which is associated with increased learning achievement. However, most interventions treat the regulatory processes as individual actions isolated from a social context. This view contradicts the most recent research that points to the importance of studying the regulatory phenomenon from a social-cognitive perspective, where students' interactions influence their regulation of the learning process. This work explores these problems and presents multiple scaffolds to promote Self-regulation of Learning (SRL), co-regulation, and socially shared regulation of learning (SSRL) embedded within a computer-supported collaborative learning environment. A single-blind randomized controlled trial was performed with students (n = 71) enrolled in an online introductory programming course. Students were randomly assigned to three groups: 1) SRL-only support, 2) SRL, co-regulation, and SSRL support, and 3) a no support control group. The findings revealed that students who received regulatory support achieved higher course grades than the control group. However, only students who received SSRL and co-regulation support achieved superior performance in collaborative activities, confirming the importance of this type of regulation. Even though students did not increase in SRL aptitude, the intervention provided support for achieving higher grades in the course.

Personality traits and emotional status affecting academic achievements of medical students: testifying mediating effect of learning strategies

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study is to identify possible causal relationships among personality traits, emotional status, learning strategies, and academic achievements of medical students and to testify mediating effect of learning strategies in these relationships.

METHODS

The study subjects are 424 medical students in the academic year of 2020 at the Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, Korea. Using the Multi-dimensional Learning Strategy Test-II, we assessed the students' academic achievements with personality traits, emotional status, and learning strategies. This study employed Structural Equation Modelling to explore the causal relationships among the latent variables.

RESULTS

In the path model, personality traits directly affected academic achievements (β=0.285, p&lt;0.05) and indirectly affected academic achievements via emotional status (β=0.063, p&lt;0.01) and via learning strategies (β=0.244, p&lt;0.05), respectively. Further, personality traits indirectly affected academic achievements via emotional status first and learning strategies next (β=0.019, p&lt;0.05). Personality traits indirectly affected academic achievements through three multiple paths in the model (β=0.326, p&lt;0.05). Learning strategies partially mediated the relationship between personality traits and academic achievements as well as the relationship between emotional status and academic achievements of medical students.

CONCLUSION

Study findings proved constructing the causal relationships among personality traits, emotional status, learning strategies, and academic achievements of medical students, thus supporting our hypotheses. Early habits of self-regulated learning are essential for the successful academic achievements of medical students. Therefore, medical students should know how to regulate personality traits and control emotional status, significantly affecting learning strategies.

Toward a Theory of Nature Experience and Health

This article presents an integrated theoretical framework to study the socioenvironmental attributes of the nature experience as a basic health behavior. After first reviewing existing literature on theories behind nature exposure, we discuss social cognitive theory (SCT) to explain individual nature experience through the model's triadic dynamic of environment, cognitions, and behaviors. We then expand beyond SCT's focus on the individual to examine structural and societal spheres of influence on nature experience found in ecological systems theory and ecosocial theory. In moving from proximal to distal influences, we identify the core constructs of each theory that may reinforce or deter decisions inclining individuals toward nature engagement. In synthesizing aspects of these three theories, we propose an integrated theoretical framework of nature experience distinguished by three ideas. First, individual-level formative influences in nature pervade higher level ecologies as a learned social behavior. Second, nature experience happens within multiple systems and timepoints. Third, social relationships within historical processes shape contextual factors of the nature experience, resulting in disparities in nature access and nature responses that manifest heterogeneously. Theorizing behind nature experience can inform why this occurs. We offer suggestions for further research to build on the groundwork put forth here: for hypothesizing around present observations, for collecting data to confirm and/or refute parts of the theory, and for further hypothesis generation inspired by the theory to inform the research agenda. In conclusion, we consider the practical implications of theory underlying nature experience as a health behavior relevant to research, interventions, and policy.

Effect of Deep Learning Approach on Career Self-Efficacy: Using Off-Campus Internships of Hospitality College Students as an Example

Off-campus internships are among the policies implemented over the years to reduce the academic gap in the hospitality industry. Additionally, career decision making is unavoidable for college students, who can use different learning strategies in internships to gain knowledge beyond textbooks and determine their future direction. Our research aims to explore the mediating role of self-regulated learning in the relationship between deep learning approach (DLA) in hospitality internships and career self-efficacy. Moreover, it uses cognitive engagement as a moderator to explore the relationships between the three constructs. Data are collected through stratified sampling from hospitality college students in Taiwan who completed off-campus internships. Descriptive statistics are employed, and confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling are conducted to analyze the data. Results indicate the following: (1) DLA has a positive influence on self-regulated learning. (2) Self-regulated learning has a positive influence on career self-efficacy. (3) DLA has a positive influence on career self-efficacy. (4) Self-regulated learning mediates the effect of DLA on career self-efficacy. (5) Cognitive engagement moderates the effect of DLA and self-regulated learning on career self-efficacy. Theoretical and practical implications are also discussed.

Putting self-regulated learning in context: Integrating self-, co-, and socially shared regulation of learning

Processes involved in the regulation of learning have been researched for decades, because of its impact on academic and workplace performance. In fact, self-regulated learning is the focus of countless studies in health professions education and higher education in general. While we will always need competent individuals who are able to regulate their own learning, developments in healthcare require a shift from a focus on the individual to the collective: collaboration within and between healthcare teams is at the heart of high-quality patient care. Concepts of collaborative learning and collective competence challenge commonly held conceptualisations of regulatory learning and call for a focus on the social embeddedness of regulatory learning and processes regulating the learning of the collective. Therefore, this article questions the alignment of current conceptualisations of regulation of learning with demands for collaboration in current healthcare. We explore different conceptualisations of regulation of learning (self-, co-, and socially shared regulation of learning), and elaborate on how the integration of these conceptualisations adds to our understanding of regulatory learning in healthcare settings. Building on these insights, we furthermore suggest ways forward for research and educational practice.

MPOWER: The Impact of a Purpose Program on Adolescents' Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations

Purpose has been defined as an active engagement toward goals that are meaningful to the self (i.e., personal meaningfulness) and contribute to the world beyond the self (BTS). These BTS contributions may reflect the intention to meet a wide range of needs from family financial needs to more macro-level concerns, including social injustices. This study investigates the efficacy of a school-based program called MPOWER expressly designed by the authors to cultivate the BTS aspect of purpose. Previous research suggests that the BTS aspect of purpose has beneficial effects on school engagement, goal-setting abilities and orientations, and ultimately school performance. Ninety-four students participated in this study that utilized a randomized, pre-test-post-test between-subjects design to evaluate MPOWER (52 in MPOWER and 42 in the control group). The ANCOVA results indicated a significant increase in the BTS aspect of purpose among program participants, compared to controls. Moreover, participants had higher post-test levels of general self-efficacy and grade point averages, and decreased performance-approach (e.g., playing to be the best, comparing self to others) and performance-avoidance (e.g., avoiding risks of failure, fear of social consequences) goal orientations. Findings can be used to design programs that aim to cultivate students' intentions to contribute to the world beyond themselves, as well as associated personal benefits (i.e., goal orientations, self-efficacy, academic performance).

Unintended Positive Consequences of Development Centres in University Graduates

This study investigated development centres as a method to improve the generalised self-efficacy of university graduates. This research was motivated by the various challenges, graduates face in order to successfully transition into the world of work. Although there is a general scarcity of skills in many emerging economies like South Africa, graduate unemployment rates remain high. Additionally, graduates are not making the immediate impact that employers would expect due to a lack of technical and "soft skills." General self-efficacy is an important attribute for job applicants because it provides them with the confidence to solve problems efficiently. The primary research objective was to identify whether the generalised self-efficacy of graduates can be positively affected by a development centre approach in the short-term and long-term. The sample population for this research included Industrial Psychology graduates at a select university in the Western Cape, South Africa (n=17). A quasi-experimental methodology was implemented where an intervention group (n=7) and a control group (n=10) were taken through a development centre approach. The results of the intervention indicated that a development centre approach has a positive impact on self-efficacy levels over the short and medium term. Results from the study emphasise the importance of self-efficacy in graduate employability and indicate how development centres can be used to improve self-efficacy levels. The findings of this study provide a basis for future research into the further development of graduate self-efficacy and the potential benefits for first time job seekers.

Flexibility in using self-regulatory strategies to manage self-control conflicts: The role of metacognitive knowledge, strategy repertoire, and feedback monitoring

For regulating emotion, it has been shown that people benefit from being flexible in their use of emotion regulation strategies. In the current study, we built on research focused on regulatory flexibility with respect to emotions to investigate flexibility in the use of self-regulatory strategies to resolve daily self-control conflicts. We investigated three components of flexibility: (1) metacognitive knowledge, (2) strategy repertoire, and (3) feedback monitoring. In a 10-day experience sampling study, 226 participants reported whether they had, within the past hour, experienced a self-control conflict of initiating an aversive activity, persisting in it, or inhibiting an unwanted impulse in response to a temptation. Results support the hypothesis that higher levels of all three components of flexibility are associated with higher levels of success in managing daily self-control conflicts, except for strategy repertoire and feedback monitoring in conflicts of persistence. Results also support the hypothesis that higher levels of trait self-control are associated with higher levels of metacognitive knowledge and feedback monitoring for conflicts of initiation, but not for conflicts of persistence and inhibition. We found no evidence of an association between trait self-control and strategy repertoire. These findings demonstrate the importance of flexible strategy use during daily self-control conflicts.

A Web-Based Game for Young Adolescents to Improve Parental Communication and Prevent Unintended Pregnancy and Sexually Transmitted Infections (The Secret of Seven Stones): Development and Feasibility Study

Background

Early adolescent unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection prevention are significant public health challenges in the United States. Parental influence can help adolescents make responsible and informed sexual health decisions toward delayed sexual debut; yet parents often feel ill equipped to communicate about sex-related topics. Intergenerational games offer a potential strategy to provide life skills training to young adolescents (aged 11-14 years) while engaging them and their parents in communication about sexual health.

Objective

This study aims to describe the development of a web-based online sexual health intergenerational adventure game, the Secret of Seven Stones (SSS), using an intervention mapping (IM) approach for developing theory- and evidence-based interventions.

Methods

We followed the IM development steps to describe a theoretical and empirical model for young adolescent sexual health behavior, define target behaviors and change objectives, identify theory-based methods and practical applications to inform design and function, develop and test a prototype of 2 game levels to assess feasibility before developing the complete 18-level game, draft an implementation plan that includes a commercial dissemination strategy, and draft an evaluation plan including a study design for a randomized controlled trial efficacy trial of SSS.

Results

SSS comprised an adventure game for young adolescent skills training delivered via a desktop computer, a text-based notification system to provide progress updates for parents and cues to initiate dialogue with their 11- to 14-year-old child, and a website for parent skills training and progress monitoring. Formative prototype testing demonstrated feasibility for in-home use and positive usability ratings.

Conclusions

The SSS intergenerational game provides a unique addition to the limited cadre of home-based programs that facilitate parent involvement in influencing young adolescent behaviors and reducing adolescent sexual risk taking. The IM framework provided a logical and thorough approach to development and testing, attentive to the need for theoretical and empirical foundations in serious games for health.

The Effect of Students’ Experience with the Transition from Primary to Secondary School on Self-Regulated Learning and Motivation

The transition from primary to secondary school is more successful when students’ learning is consistent. Students are also more likely to enjoy school, engage with learning, and have a high academic achievement in secondary school when they feel motivated. This is a critical aspect, especially in cases in which global pandemic situations allow only online schooling opportunities. Students that are away from school lack the traditional sources of motivation and self-regulated learning skills; thus, research is needed to identify other important factors that can be developed in remote settings. The aim of this study was to find out how students perceive their experience with the transition from primary to secondary school and how such a transition influences students’ self-regulated learning (SRL) and motivation. Self-reported data were collected during the COVID-19 breakout from a total of n = 80 sixth and seventh grade students aged 12–14 years old. The results showed that students had a successful transition, especially when they were supported by their parents and teachers. Next, bivariate Pearson correlation analysis indicated that students’ perceptions about their experience with the transition from primary to secondary school, their self-regulated learning, and their motivation were significantly correlated. No gender differences were found among any of the main study variables. Teachers can foster students’ SRL skills by implementing effective teaching methods and by guiding them towards SRL-enhancing techniques.

Relationships between academic self-efficacy, learning-related emotions, and metacognitive learning strategies with academic performance in medical students: a structural equation model

Recognition of the factors affecting the medical students' academic success is one of the most important challenges and concerns in medical schools. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the mediating effects of metacognitive learning strategies and learning-related emotions in the relationship between academic self-efficacy with academic performance in medical students.

METHODS

The present study was carried out on 279 students of medicine studying at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. The students filled out three questionnaires: academic emotions (AEQ), metacognitive learning strategies, and academic self-efficacy questionnaires. The data were analyzed using SPSS and Smart PLS3.

RESULTS

The results of structural equation modeling revealed that the students' self-efficacy has an impact on their learning-related emotions and metacognitive learning strategies, and these, in turn, affect the students' academic performance. Moreover, learning-related emotions influence the metacognitive learning strategies, which in turn mediate the effect of emotions on academic performance.

DISCUSSION

The results of this study revealed that metacognitive strategies and learning-related emotions could play a mediating role in the relationship between students' self-efficacy and academic performance.

U-Flourish university students well-being and academic success longitudinal study: a study protocol

INTRODUCTION

Over 30% of Canadians between the ages of 16 and 24 years attend university. This period of life coincides with the onset of common mental illnesses. Yet, data to inform university-based mental health prevention and early intervention initiatives are limited. The U-Flourish longitudinal study based out of Queen's University, Canada and involving Oxford University in the UK, is a student informed study funded by the Canadian Institute for Health Research Strategy for Patient Oriented Research (CIHR-SPOR). The primary goal of U-Flourish research is to examine the contribution of risk and resiliency factors to outcomes of well-being and academic success in first year students transitioning to university.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

The study is a longitudinal survey of all first-year undergraduate students entering Queen's University in the fall term of 2018 (and will launch at Oxford University in fall of 2019). In accordance with the CIHR-SPOR definitions, students represent the target population (ie, patient equivalent). Student peer health educators were recruited to inform the design, content and implementation of the study. Baseline surveys of Queen's first year students were completed in the fall of 2018, and follow-up surveys at the end of first year in the spring of 2019. Extensive student-led engagement campaigns were used to maximise participation rates. The baseline survey included measures of personal factors, family factors, environmental factors, psychological and emotional health, and lifestyle factors. Main outcomes include self-reported indicators of mental health at follow-up and mental health service access, as well as objective measures of academic success through linkage to university administrative and academic databases. A combination of mixed effects regression techniques will be employed to determine associations between baseline predictive factors and mental health and academic outcomes.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Ethical approval was obtained by the Health Sciences and Affiliated Teaching Hospitals Research Ethics Board (HSREB) (#6023126) at Queen's University. Findings will be disseminated through international and national peer-reviewed scientific articles and other channels including student-driven support and advocacy groups, newsletters and social media.

Building Word Knowledge, Learning Strategies, and Metacognition with the Word-Knowledge E-Book

Many children fail to comprehend what they read because they do not monitor their understanding, which requires making accurate judgements of what they know and then employing repair strategies when comprehension fails. Relying on research from learning science and cognitive and developmental psychology, we developed the Word Knowledge e-Book (WKe-Book) to improve children's calibration of their word knowledge, strategy use, and word knowledge overall; skills which are associated with reading comprehension. The WKe-Book, which is read on a tablet computer, is a choose-your-own adventure book where choices require choosing between two rare words (e.g., cogitate vs. procrastinate). Depending on the word chosen, the story follows a different plot. There are also embedded comprehension questions where students receive immediate feedback with consequences for incorrect answers, such as being sent back to reread a few pages. In a randomized controlled trial, we tested whether students (N = 603 in 25 third through fifth grade classrooms in Arizona in the US) reading the WKe-Book would demonstrate improved word knowledge, strategy use, and word knowledge calibration. Classrooms were randomly assigned to read the WKe-Book immediately (treatment) or later (delayed-treatment control), and within classrooms, students were randomly assigned to either participate in a 15-minute weekly book club (book club treatment) or to read the WKe-Book independently with no book club (no book club control). Results revealed a significant treatment effect of the WKe-Book on students' word knowledge, word knowledge calibration, and strategy use, which predicted student performance on standardized reading comprehension and vocabulary measures. The effects were greater for students who participated in weekly book clubs compared to students in the no book club control. These findings suggest that the affordances offered by technology, which are unavailable in paper-based books, can support students' development of metacognition, including word knowledge calibration, strategy use, and word learning skills.

Translating the ICAP Theory of Cognitive Engagement Into Practice

ICAP is a theory of active learning that differentiates students' engagement based on their behaviors. ICAP postulates that Interactive engagement, demonstrated by co-generative collaborative behaviors, is superior for learning to Constructive engagement, indicated by generative behaviors. Both kinds of engagement exceed the benefits of Active or Passive engagement, marked by manipulative and attentive behaviors, respectively. This paper discusses a 5-year project that attempted to translate ICAP into a theory of instruction using five successive measures: (a) teachers' understanding of ICAP after completing an online module, (b) their success at designing lesson plans using different ICAP modes, (c) fidelity of teachers' classroom implementation, (d) modes of students' enacted behaviors, and (e) students' learning outcomes. Although teachers had minimal success in designing Constructive and Interactive activities, students nevertheless learned significantly more in the context of Constructive than Active activities. We discuss reasons for teachers' overall difficulty in designing and eliciting Interactive engagement.

Measuring preschool learning engagement in the laboratory

Learning engagement is a critical factor for academic achievement and successful school transitioning. However, current methods of assessing learning engagement in young children are limited to teacher report or classroom observation, which may limit the types of research questions one could assess about this construct. The current study investigated the validity of a novel assessment designed to measure behavioral learning engagement among young children in a standardized laboratory setting and examined how learning engagement in the laboratory relates to future classroom adjustment. Preschool-aged children (N = 278) participated in a learning-based Tangrams task and Story sequencing task and were observed based on seven behavioral indicators of engagement. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the construct validity for a behavioral engagement factor composed of six of the original behavioral indicators: attention to instructions, on-task behavior, enthusiasm/energy, persistence, monitoring progress/strategy use, and negative affect. Concurrent validity for this behavioral engagement factor was established through its associations with parent-reported mastery motivation and pre-academic skills in math and literacy measured in the laboratory, and predictive validity was demonstrated through its associations with teacher-reported classroom learning behaviors and performance in math and reading in kindergarten. These associations were found when behavioral engagement was observed during both the nonverbal task and the verbal story sequencing tasks and persisted even after controlling for child minority status, gender, and maternal education. Learning engagement in preschool appears to be successfully measurable in a laboratory setting. This finding has implications for future research on the mechanisms that support successful academic development.

Factorial Structure of the Self-Efficacy for Self-Regulated Learning Scale

This study investigated the constructs measured by the Self-efficacy for Self-regulated Learning Scale with 235 undergraduates. The 24 items, derived from 13 validated categories of self-regulated learning from Zimmerman and Martinez-Pons, assess efficacy beliefs about general strategies (11 items) and use of specific self-regulatory activities (13 items). Exploratory factor analysis using principal factors with oblique rotation indicated three factors of General Organization and Planning, Task Preparation Strategies, and Environmental Restructuring. Values of coefficient alpha for the three factors were .84, .72, and .79, respectively.

Latino Students' Transition to Middle School: Role of Bilingual Education and School Ethnic Context

Participants were 204 academically at-risk Latino students recruited into a study when in first grade and followed for 9 years. Using piecewise latent growth curve analyses, we investigated trajectories of teacher-rated behavioral engagement and student-reported school belonging during elementary school and middle school and the association between trajectories and enrollment in bilingual education classes in elementary school and a change in school ethnic congruence across the transition to middle school. Overall, students experienced a drop in school belonging and behavioral engagement across the transition. A moderating effect of ethnic congruence on bilingual enrollment was found. A decline in ethnic congruence was associated with more positive trajectories for students previously enrolled in bilingual classes but more negative trajectories for non-bilingual students.

A social cognitive view of self-regulated learning about health

Researchers interested in health-related learning have recently begun to study processes people use to self-regulate their health and their ability to prevent or control chronic disease. This paper represents a social cognitive view of self-regulation that involves three classes of influence on self-regulating behavior: personal, behavioral, and environmental. This triadic model assumes that people self-regulate their health through the use of self-care strategies, setting reasonable health goals, and monitoring feedback concerning the effectiveness of strategies in meeting their goals. People's perceptions of self-efficacy are also assumed to play a major role in motivating them to self-regulate their health functioning. According to social cognitive theory, processes entailed in regulating one's health can be taught through social modeling, supports, and feedback; gradually these external supports are withdrawn as one is able to self-regulate. This paper will analyze self-regulation processes related to controlling or preventing lung disease, specifically management of asthma and eliminating smoking. The educational implications of the triadic model of self-regulation for promoting health and related behavioral functioning will be discussed.

Academic performance and self-regulatory skills in elite youth soccer players

Although elite athletes have been reported to be high academic achievers, many elite soccer players struggle with a stereotype of being low academic achievers. The purpose of this study was to compare the academic level (pre-university or pre-vocational) and self-regulatory skills (planning, self-monitoring, evaluation, reflection, effort, and self-efficacy) of elite youth soccer players aged 12-16 years (n = 128) with those of 164 age-matched controls (typical students). The results demonstrate that the elite youth soccer players are more often enrolled in the pre-university academic system, which means that they are high academic achievers, compared with the typical student. The elite players also report an increased use of self-regulatory skills, in particular self-monitoring, evaluation, reflection, and effort. In addition, control students in the pre-university system had more highly developed self-regulatory skills than those in the pre-vocational system, whereas no difference was observed within the soccer population. This suggests that the relatively stronger self-regulatory skills reported by the elite youth soccer players may be essential for performance at the highest levels of sport competition and in academia.

Development and Initial Validation of a Measure of Academic Behaviors Associated With College and Career Readiness

In this cross-validation study, the authors examined the psychometric properties of a measure of academic behaviors associated with college and career readiness intended for high school students. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted with a randomly selected portion of the sample ( n = 413) and resulted in four reliable factors: Goal-driven Behaviors, Persistence, Study Skills, and Self-Monitoring. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted with the remaining sample ( n = 610). Goodness-of-fit indices indicated acceptable model fit. Follow-up analyses revealed significant differences in factor scores among 9th grade students according to gender and race but no significant differences between students in grades 10 through 12, showing the measure functions similarly across students for the most part and particularly for students approaching graduation. Implications for use as a value-added assessment in secondary environments are discussed.

The contribution of personality traits and self-efficacy beliefs to academic achievement: a longitudinal study

BACKGROUND. The personal determinants of academic achievement and success have captured the attention of many scholars for the last decades. Among other factors, personality traits and self-efficacy beliefs have proved to be important predictors of academic achievement. AIMS. The present study examines the unique contribution and the pathways through which traits (i.e., openness and conscientiousness) and academic self-efficacy beliefs are conducive to academic achievement at the end of junior and senior high school. SAMPLE. Participants were 412 Italian students, 196 boys and 216 girls, ranging in age from 13 to 19 years. METHODS. The hypothesized relations among the variables were tested within the framework of structural equation model. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS. Openness and academic self-efficacy at the age of 13 contributed to junior high-school grades, after controlling for socio-economic status (SES). Junior high-school grades contribute to academic self-efficacy beliefs at the age of 16, which in turn contributed to high-school grades, over and above the effects of SES and prior academic achievement. In accordance with the posited hypothesis, academic self-efficacy beliefs partially mediated the contribution of traits to later academic achievement. In particular, conscientiousness at the age of 13 affected high-school grades indirectly, through its effect on academic self-efficacy beliefs at the age of 16. These findings have broad implications for interventions aimed to enhance children's academic pursuits. Whereas personality traits represent stable individual characteristics that mostly derive from individual genetic endowment, social cognitive theory provides guidelines for enhancing students' efficacy to regulate their learning activities.

Parental Involvement and Children's School Achievement

This study used path analytic techniques and an ecological framework to examine the association between children's perceptions of their parents' educational involvement, children's personal characteristics, and their school achievement. Fathers' academic pressure was predictive of lower achievement, whereas mothers' encouragement and support predicted higher achievement. Both parents used more academic pressure with their sons, whereas using more encouragement and support with their daughters. The effects of parental involvement were mediated through children's academic competence. This study demonstrates the interactive influences of parents' educational involvement and children's personal characteristics in predicting school achievement. Implications for practice and research in school psychology are presented.

Asthma management simulation for children: translating theory, methods, and strategies to effect behavior change

Translating behavioral theories, models, and strategies to guide the development and structure of computer-based health applications is well recognized, although a continued challenge for program developers. A stepped approach to translate behavioral theory in the design of simulations to teach chronic disease management to children is described. This includes the translation steps to: 1) define target behaviors and their determinants, 2) identify theoretical methods to optimize behavioral change, and 3) choose educational strategies to effectively apply these methods and combine these into a cohesive computer-based simulation for health education. Asthma is used to exemplify a chronic health management problem and a computer-based asthma management simulation (Watch, Discover, Think and Act) that has been evaluated and shown to effect asthma self-management in children is used to exemplify the application of theory to practice. Impact and outcome evaluation studies have indicated the effectiveness of these steps in providing increased rigor and accountability, suggesting their utility for educators and developers seeking to apply simulations to enhance self-management behaviors in patients.

Self-efficacy and academic achievement in Australian high school students: the mediating effects of academic aspirations and delinquency

Studies have shown that self-efficacy, aspirational, and other psychosocial influences account for considerable variance in academic achievement through a range of mediational pathways, although no research to date has tested the mediational relationships identified. The present research investigated the structural relations among self-efficacy, academic aspirations, and delinquency, on the academic achievement of 935 students aged 11-18 years from ten schools in two Australian cities. The Children's Self-Efficacy Scale, Adapted Self-Report Delinquency Scale (Revised), and Children's Academic Aspirations Scale were administered to participants prior to academic achievement being assessed using mid-year school grades. Structural equation modeling was employed to test three alternative models for the relationships from academic, social, and self-regulatory efficacy on academic achievement. A partial mediation model showed the best overall fit to the data. Academic and self-regulatory efficacy had an indirect negative effect through delinquency and a direct positive effect on academic achievement. Academic and social self-efficacy had positive and negative relationships, respectively, with academic aspiration and academic achievement; however, the relationship between academic aspiration and academic achievement was not significant in the final model.

Academic Success Strategy Use Among Community-Active Urban Hispanic Adolescents

Although much has been written about the “risky” behaviors in which some Hispanic adolescents participate, the predictors of academic success are less understood. Toward this end, predictors of academic self-regulation were investigated in Hispanic adolescents. Specifically, a predictive model incorporating self-efficacy, instrumentality, salience of becoming a college student, and structured programming was examined in a sample of 66 Hispanic teens drawn from an urban community center. A model including self-efficacy, instrumentality, and salience of becoming a college student explained 53% of the variance in academic self-regulation, and further regression tests suggested that self-efficacy acted as a mediator of the other two predictors. However, structured leadership programming was not related to self-regulation. Case illustrations are presented. Future research involving the study of community-active Hispanic teens and their academic success is discussed.

The differential impact of academic self-regulatory methods on academic achievement among university students with and without learning disabilities

Although research on academic self-regulation has proliferated in recent years, no studies have investigated the question of whether the perceived usefulness and the use of standard self-regulated learning strategies and compensation strategies provide a differential prediction of academic achievement for university students with and without learning disabilities (LD). We developed and tested a model explaining interrelationships among self-regulatory variables and grade point average (GPA) using structural equation modeling and multiple group analysis for students with LD (n = 53) and without LD (n = 421). Data were gathered using a new instrument, the Learning Strategies and Study Skills survey. The results of this study indicate that students with LD differed significantly from students without LD in the relationships between their motivation for and use of standard self-regulated learning strategies and compensation strategies, which in turn provided a differential explanation of academic achievement for students with and without LD. These paths of influence and idiosyncrasies of academic self-regulation among students with LD were interpreted in terms of social cognitive theory, metacognitive theory, and research conducted in the LD field.

Growing Primacy of Human Agency in Adaptation and Change in the Electronic Era

The extraordinary advances in electronic technologies and global human interconnectedness present novel adaptational challenges and expanded opportunities for people to shape their social future and national life. The present article analyzes these pervasive transformational changes from an agentic theoretical perspective rooted in the exercise of perceived personal and collective efficacy. By acting on their efficacy beliefs, people ply the enabling functions of electronic systems to promote their education, health, affective well-being, worklife, organizational innovativeness and productivity and to change social conditions that affect their lives. Technology influences, and is influenced by, the sociostructural nature of societies. The codetermining sociostructural factors affect whether electronic technologies and globalization serve as positive forces that benefit all or divisive ones in human lives.