Nancy E. Perry

Chapter 16 – Measuring Self-Regulated Learning

Publisher Summary Research on self-regulated learning (SRL) and measurement protocols used in this chapter are relatively new and inherently intertwined enterprises. Each helps to bootstrap the other. One adopts the view that a measurement protocol is an intervention in an environment, disturbing it in a fashion that causes data to be generated. Using that data and logic of causal inference, he/she infers properties and qualities of a target of measurement. Thus, measurement involves understandings about a target, its environment, and causal relationships that connect the two. Under this view, measurement is akin to model building and model testing, and thus, all measures of SRL are reflections of a model of SRL. SRL has dual qualities as an aptitude and an event. It is situated within a broad range of environmental plus mental factors and potentials, and manifests itself in recursively applied forms of metacognitive monitoring and metacognitive control that change information over time as learners engage with a task.

Creating Classroom Contexts That Support Young Children's Development of Self-Regulated Learning.

Abstract The purpose of the research reported in this chapter is twofold: first, to identify features of classroom environments that promote self-regulated approaches to reading and writing in young children; and second, to work collaboratively with teachers, helping them become proficient at designing tasks and structuring interactions with students that promote self-regulated learning (SRL). Five primary (kindergarten — grade 3) teachers and their students were involved in the study. Evidence from classroom observations indicates that these five teachers consistently involved their students in complex reading and writing activities, choosing what to read and write about, modifying tasks to control challenge, and evaluating their reading and writing processes and products. Also, these teachers provided support that was instrumental to students’ development of SRL, and employed non-threatening evaluation practices. Consistent with previous research that characterizes self-regulated learners, students in these classrooms demonstrated high levels of metacognition, intrinsic motivation, and strategic action.

Mentoring Student Teachers to Support Self‐Regulated Learning

We use the term “self‐regulated learning” (SRL) to describe independent, highly effective approaches to learning that are associated with success in and beyond school. Research has indicated that fostering SRL in elementary school children requires a level of instructional sophistication and student awareness that may be beyond the capabilities of beginning teachers. This article presents findings from the first 2 years in a 4‐year investigation of whether and how highly effective, high‐SRL teachers in a large, diverse, suburban Canadian school district can mentor student teachers to design tasks and develop practices that promote elementary school students’ SRL. Across Years 1 and 2, 37 student teachers were paired with 37 mentor teachers in grades K–5 in a cohort that emphasized SRL theory and practice. In general, student teachers remained with the same mentors throughout their yearlong teacher education program and were supported by faculty associates (teachers seconded by the university to supervise student teachers’ practice) and researchers who also had expertise in promoting SRL. Researchers observed mentor and student teachers teaching, videotaped professional seminars, and collected samples of student teachers’ reflections on teaching, lesson plans, and unit plans. The observational data, which are the focus of this article, indicated that many student teachers were capable of designing tasks and implementing practices associated with the promotion of SRL. In general, student teachers’ tasks and practices resembled those of their mentors, and the complexity of the tasks that mentors and student teachers designed was strongly predictive of opportunities for students to develop and engage in SRL.

Elementary Teachers’ Application of Jean Piaget’s Theories of Cognitive Development during Social Studies Curriculum Debates in Arizona

In this article we explore educators’ use of Jean Piaget’s theories concerning cognitive development to refute proposed social studies standards in Arizona. We describe the work of Piaget as well as the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s developmentally appropriate practices as they apply to primary‐grade children’s capabilities of learning history. Recent research on children’s ability to learn history, as well as research concerning the competing curricular frameworks of expanding communities and core knowledge, is described. During a public review of the proposed standards, educators and concerned citizens of Arizona were given opportunities to air their comments and concerns to the Arizona Department of Education. Our data consisted of written comments on the standards submitted by 50 public reviewers and copies of draft standards containing all proposed and accepted changes from the beginning of the public review period (March 1–25, 2005) until the Arizona Department of Education presented the standards to the state board of education for approval. During analysis of these comments, we found that teachers frequently referred to Piagetian theory and developmentally appropriate practices to refute the new standards. We concluded that children can learn history from either curricular framework as long as teachers employ practices that are developmentally appropriate. Unfortunately, as we explain, teachers’ arguments, based on their understandings of Piaget, to refute content‐laden curriculum in grades K–3 stifled substantive discussions that are at the heart of social studies education.

Teacher Well-Being Exploring Its Components and a Practice-Oriented Scale

This study examined the psychometric properties of the Teacher Well-Being Scale, which assesses three factors of teachers’ work-related well-being: workload, organizational, and student interaction well-being. With a sample of Canadian teachers, results confirmed the reliability, approximate normality, and factor structure of the scale; provided support for a higher order factor of teacher well-being; showed the instrument functioned similarly across different sociodemographic subgroups; and demonstrated the well-being factors were related as expected with external constructs of teacher stress, job satisfaction, and general well-being. Combined, these analyses provide support for the use of the instrument as an assessment of teacher well-being and evidence of the importance of teacher well-being for other teacher outcomes. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Finnish Students' Reasons for Their Achievement in Classroom Activities: Focus on Features That Support Self-Regulated Learning.

The aim of this study was to investigate how finnish students explain factors that contribute to their achievement in classroom learning activities and whether these factors are related to support of self-regulated learning (SRL) in classroom. Over seven weeks, 24 primary school students were videotaped during their typical classroom activities in 28 lessons to capture moments when they succeeded in learning tasks. From the video observations, 62 episodes were edited and used in stimulated recall interviews in which students were asked to report the reasons they related to their achievement in learning situations. Data-driven content analysis was used to analyse the open-ended interview data. The video observation data were analysed and sorted into theory-driven categories in order to find out how SRL was supported in classrooms. The results showed that students describe achievement through the actions that they took in the learning situations, such as being able accomplish the task. The reasons given for their achievement dealt with ability to accomplish the tasks or doing academic activities in order to achieve in the task. Furthermore, the students recognised classroom activities that support SRL, acknowledging their contribution to their achievement, mostly through the support that they received from their teachers and peers.

Reactivity to Stress and the Cognitive Components of Math Disability in Grade 1 Children

This study investigated the relationship among working memory, processing speed, math performance, and reactivity to stress in 83 Grade 1 children. Specifically, 39 children with math disability (MD) were compared to 44 children who are typically achieving (TA) in mathematics. It is the first study to use a physiological index of stress (salivary cortisol levels) to measure children’s reactivity while completing tasks that assess the core components of MD: working memory for numbers, working memory for words, digits backward, letter number sequence, digit span forward, processing speed for numbers and words, block rotation, and math tasks. Grade 1 children with MD obtained significantly lower scores on the letter number sequence and quantitative concepts tasks. Higher levels of reactivity significantly predicted poorer performance on the working memory for numbers, working memory for words, and quantitative concepts tasks for Grade 1 children, regardless of math ability. Grade 1 children with MD and higher reactivity had significantly lower scores on the letter number sequence task than the children with MD and low reactivity. The findings suggest that high reactivity impairs performance in working memory and math tasks in Grade 1 children, and young children with high reactivity may benefit from interventions aimed at lowering anxiety in stressful situations, which may improve learning.

Personal and Contextual Contributors to Young Children's Activity-Based Perceived Self-Efficacy

This study investigated personal and contextual influences to young childrens perceived self-efficacy (SE) in social and independent learning situations. The participants were children (n = 24) 6–8 years old from four Finnish elementary school classrooms. First, teachers from each classroom were asked to rate their students’ social competence (SC). Second, the participants were videotaped in 45 social and 15 independent learning situations, and later interviewed about their SE perceptions using video-stimulated recall. Participants with higher SE demonstrated more stable perceptions and greater involvement in social learning situations. However, a statistically significant relationship between perceived SE and SC was not found. Participants also identified 4 factors promoting perceived SE: positive emotional states, mastery experiences, personal strategic behavior, and contextual support.

Using Self-Regulated Learning as a Framework for Creating Inclusive Classrooms for Ethnically and Linguistically Diverse Learners in Canada

Canada is rich in ethnic and linguistic diversity. For example, in 2011 more than 200 ethnic origins were reported in Canada’s National Household Survey. Similarly, those surveyed identified more than 200 languages as their home language or mother tongue. Most of this diversity is concentrated in Canada’s largest urban centers: Montreal (Quebec), Toronto (Ontario), and Vancouver (British Columbia). Canadian classrooms reflect this diversity, which is a challenge for our predominantly Euro-Canadian and monolingual teaching force. This chapter for the Handbook of Positive Development of Minority Children describes the demographic characteristics and experiences of diverse groups of students in Canadian classrooms, with a particular focus on immigrant, Aboriginal, and language minority (LM) learners. Then we consider self-regulated learning (SRL) as a framework for creating inclusive and culturally responsive contexts that accommodate multiple pathways to knowing and learning and foster productive approaches to learning in all children.

School Context and Educational System Factors Impacting Educator Stress

This chapter explores three context and education system factors that are implicated in educators’ experiences of stress in the workplace: occupational support, interpersonal relationships, and educational policy changes. More precisely, the first factor concerns occupational support provided to educators to conduct their work with a specific focus on principals’ provision of autonomy support. Autonomy support stems from self-determination theory and refers to the extent to which an authority figure supports individuals’ self-determination in a particular context. The second factor concerns the relational context of teaching with a focus on educators’ relationships with students and colleagues. The third factor concerns the impact of systemic factors in educational policy. For this, we have focused on the impacts of standardized testing and educational innovations. Together, the three overarching factors represent defining features of school and educational systems that shape educators’ work and their experiences of stress in that environment. Overall, our aim is to broaden understanding of the role that schools and educational systems play in educators’ psychological functioning at work.