Christopher A. Wolters

Assessing Academic Self-Regulated Learning

Self-regulated learning concerns the application of general models of regulation and self-regulation to issues of learning especially within academic contexts. Self-regulated learning is an active, constructive process whereby learners set goals for their learning and then attempt to monitor, regulate, and control their cognition, motivation, and behavior, guided and constrained by their goals and the contextual features in the environment. In this paper we describe a general framework or taxonomy for academic self-regulated learning and discuss our efforts to develop self-report measures of different components of academic self-regulated learning. Individual scales that assess cognitive and metacognitive learning strategies, regulation of motivation strategies, and strategies concerning the regulation of behavior are presented and discussed.

Parental Involvement in Predicting School Motivation: Similar and Differential Effects across Ethnic Groups.

ABSTRACT The authors investigated how different dimensions of parental involvement similarly or differentially linked to various constructs of school motivation (academic self-efficacy in mathematics and English, intrinsic motivation toward mathematics and English, and engagement) across ethnic groups of Caucasian, African American, Asian American, and Hispanic students. The structural equation modeling analyses revealed the existence of ethnic differences by providing evidence that (a) parental advising and parent–school communication concerning benign school issues were positively related to Hispanic students’ intrinsic motivation toward English and academic self-efficacy in English, but negatively related to Asian American students’ mathematics intrinsic motivation and/or mathematics self-efficacy; and (b) parental participation in school functions sporadically affected the school motivational constructs for only Caucasian and African American students. Despite the ethnic differences, similar findings across ethnic groups were also noted. Generally, results showed that parental aspiration for childrens education positively related to student school motivational constructs, whereas school–parent communication regarding student school problems negatively predicted student school motivational constructs across ethnic groups.

Assessing and Predicting College Students' Use of Strategies for the Self-Regulation of Motivation.

College students (N = 215) completed a self-report instrument designed to assess different regulation of motivation strategies as well as aspects of their motivational beliefs, use of cognitive and metacognitive learning strategies, and procrastination. The study serves to extend the research on the self-regulation of motivation through three related findings. One, results indicate that the instrument evaluated in the study provides a reliable and valid method for assessing six motivational regulation strategies in a college population. Two, analyses revealed differences in the extent that students reported using the regulation of motivation strategies, while also showing them to be related to other aspects of self-regulated learning in a theoretically consistent way. Last, findings from a series of multiple regressions indicate that students’ engagement in motivational regulation is a function of their existing motivational beliefs and attitudes.

The Relation Between Perceived Parenting Practices and Achievement Motivation in Mathematics

Abstract In this study, perceived parenting styles and parental involvement were examined to determine if they predicted student motivation. The two views of motivation examined included achievement goal theory and self-determination theory. Algebra I students (N = 140) in a Southeast Texas public high school completed self-report surveys. Multivariate analyses indicated that perceived authoritative parenting was positively related to both a mastery goal orientation and higher relative autonomy. Permissive parenting was negatively related to a mastery orientation and positively related to a performance approach orientation. Authoritarian parenting was positively related to a performance approach orientation only. Also, behavioral involvement was positively related to both a performance approach and performance avoidance goal orientation. Generally, future research should include measures that are specific to the beliefs and attitudes of adolescents and that address more specific aspects of parenting styles.

A Self-regulated Learning Perspective on Student Engagement

Models of both self-regulated learning and student engagement have been used to help understand why some students are successful in school while others are not. The goal of this chapter is to provide greater insight into the relations between these two theoretical frameworks. The first section presents a basic model of self-regulated learning, outlining the primary phases and areas involved in that process. The next section discusses key similarities and differences between aspects of self-regulated learning and features of student engagement, drawing on both theoretical suggestions and empirical research. The final section offers ideas and avenues for additional research that would serve to better link self-regulated learning and student engagement.

Teacher-Reported Goal Structures: Assessing Factor Structure and Invariance

The purpose of this study was to extend the research on achievement goal theory by examining the measurement and understanding of goal structures using teacher-reported data. A large number of elementary, middle, and high school teachers completed an online survey that included items assessing their use of instructional practices associated with mastery and performance goal structures in the fall (n = 1,079) and spring (n = 867) of one school year. Findings supported the general 2-factor model that distinguishes mastery and performance goal structures. In addition, findings indicated differences in goal structures on the basis of academic level and the subject area for which teachers were responsible but not for experience as a teacher. Results also show that goal structures were fairly stable across the school year.

Academic and Social Experiences of Children With Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus

The academic and social experiences of children with and without insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus were investigated. Measures included the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-III, the Peabody Individual Achievement Test-Revised, and a parent interview. Results indicated that children with diabetes scored lower on some cognitive and academic measures compared to children without diabetes, but their school and social life was not remarkably different. Few differences were found between children with early onset and late onset of diabetes. The findings suggest that poorer management of diabetes is associated with greater school absences, which in turn are associated with lower grades in school.

Self-regulated learning interventions for motivationally disengaged college students.

In the United States, higher or postsecondary education includes a diverse set of institutions and contexts that vary across a number of dimensions. For instance, these institutions can differ with regard to the academic programs they offer and the numbers and types of degrees they grant. Also, they range in size from smaller community colleges with enrollments below some secondary schools to land-grant universities with enrollments topping 50,000. The students served by particular institutions also vary widely. Some institutions are designed more for the needs of minority, immigrant, low-income, or lower achieving populations; others have costs and academic standards that limit their enrollments to wealthier or more elite students. As a whole, the system of higher education in the United States has been lauded as the best in world and routinely draws large numbers of students from other countries (Schmidtl ein &. Berdahl, 2011 ). There also is an increasing recognit ion that too many students who begin a postsecondary education ultimately disengage and fail to complete

Impact of a Student Success Course on Undergraduate Academic Outcomes

Both community colleges and four-year institutions offer Student Success Courses (SSCs) to promote student engagement (self-regulated learning, SRL) and performance (grades, retention, and graduation). However, little work has been done to examine the holistic impact of SSC interventions or to determine which aspects of course curriculum most impact students’ learning and achievement. This study sought to fill this gap by (a) comparing grades and retention rates of 98 diverse course takers—predominately female (86%), average age of 24 years (SD = 6 years)—with those of a matched sample of noncourse takers, and (b) exploring course takers’ SRL engagement development during the course. Comparison students were obtained through a three-step matching procedure. Results of quantitative survey and performance data analysis demonstrated significant SRL development during the course, although course takers did not outperform their matched peers with regard to grades and retention. SRL test-taking strategies were found to predict semester GPAs. Student motivation at the start of the course predicted their end-of-semester engagement with time-management and help-seeking behaviors. These findings are discussed in terms of SRL and SSC policy and curriculum.

Examining Relevant Influences on the Persistence of African-American College Students at a Diverse Urban University

In this study, campus involvement, faculty mentorship, motivational beliefs (self-efficacy and utility value), and sense of belonging were examined as potential predictors of African-American college student academic persistence. Participants (n = 139) in the study were African-American college students from a large-urban university. Separate analyses were conducted to predict two related aspects of student persistence. A multiple linear regression was used to predict self-reported student persistence and a logistic regression was used to predict actual enrollment in the following semester. Results indicated that utility value was the only significant predictor of self-reported persistence. Surprisingly, results of the logistic regression indicated that students who reported having higher levels of self-efficacy in the fall were less likely to enroll in the subsequent spring semester. Findings in this study add to the body of research on college student persistence.