Investigating the Effect of Self-Regulated Learning Prompts on Undergraduate Physics Students’ Self-Efficacy, Metacognition, and Learning

• In Event: Advancing Self-Regulated Learning in Higher Education: Profiles, Strategies, and Interventions Across Diverse Learning Contexts

Abstract

In the present study, we conducted a semester-long intervention that targeted multiple SRL components through digital prompts to improve students’ SRL and academic achievement. Specifically, a physics instructor first taught an undergraduate-level physics course in Spring 2023 in a business-as-usual condition. They then participated in a faculty development on SRL and implemented an intervention in the same physics course in Spring 2024. We discovered that students in the intervention condition significantly increased their self-efficacy for higher-level strategic processing and performed better in the final exam than those who did not receive the intervention after controlling for pre scores on self-efficacy and metacognitive awareness. These findings suggested viable ways to support physics instructors to integrate SRL into their regular teaching.

Authors

• Louis Leblond, Pennsylvania State University

• Ying Wang, FHI 360

• Rayne A. Sperling, Pennsylvania State University