Differences in the Teaching and Learning of Self-Regulated Learning Skills in Grades 5 to 8

• In Event: 66.084 - Teachers' Beliefs and Practices With Respect to Teaching for Self-Regulated Learning

Abstract

Differences in the Teaching and Learning of Self-Regulated Learning Skills in Grades 5 to 8
The importance of teaching self-regulated learning (SRL) skills to students has been demonstrated by evidence that SRL intervention programs influence academic performance (Dignath and Büttner, 2008). This study investigates whether differences in teaching SRL corresponds to differences in SRL skill levels of grade 5 to 8 students. The study supports previous literature suggesting primary school teachers implement more SRL practices than secondary teachers (Moos and Ringdal, 2012).
Teachers and students completed self-report assessments based on the Zimmerman and Kitsantas (2007) SRL framework. The teacher assessment (16 items, 49 score points) asked teachers to report what they did in class to teach each element of the framework. The student assessment (30 items, 88 score points) asked students to report what they would do in specific learning circumstances. Each question was polytomous and coded according to a sequence of increasing skill order designated a priori, which was psychometrically validated based on the responses. Both student (n = 3741) and teacher (n = 124) assessments were analyzed using Masters extension of the simple IRT logistic model (Wright and Masters, 1982). Person separation reliabilities were 0.873 and 0.759 respectively. Abilities were calculated using Warms weighted likelihood estimation.
Results of both assessments were transformed into written descriptions of increasing skill level: five levels for the teachers and seven for the students. Subsequent questionnaires revealed that 80% of teachers agreed that their measured level reflected their practice (15% did not agree and 5% did not answer).
Results showed no significant differences between the means of grade 5 and 6 students in SRL ability. However, grade 7 students scored significantly lower than grade 5 and 6 students (p<0.002), and grade 8 students scored significantly lower than all other grades (p<0.001). The results of the teachers corresponded closely to those of the students. There were no significant differences between the mean levels of grade 5/6 teachers’ implementation of SRL classroom practices. However, the grades 7 and 8 teachers scored significantly lower (p<0.035 and p<0.004) than the grade 5/6 teachers.
Further investigations revealed that 32% of teachers reported specifically including elements of SRL when planning a lesson. When asked what impeded the teaching of SRL in the classroom, 45.8% of teachers said that there was not enough time to teach SRL skills as well as the content of the curriculum. Only 1.2% of teachers said that SRL skills were not as important as the content of the subjects, and none said that SRL skills were not teachable. However, 24.1% of teachers acknowledged that they did not know how to teach SRL skills.
These results support the contention that teachers need to receive training on how to teach SRL (e.g. Panadero, 2017) and that training needs to include methods for integrating the teaching of SRL with the teaching of subject content.

Authors

• Susan-Marie Harding

• Patrick E. Griffin, University of Melbourne

• Nives Nibali

• Narelle English, The University of Melbourne

• Lorraine J. Graham, The University of Melbourne

• Bm Monjurul Alom, University of Melbourne