Poster #8 - Task Persistence and Self-Monitoring Accuracy Predict Self-Regulated Learning Performance in Elementary School

• In Event: 3-159 - Poster Session 12
  In Poster Session: PS 12 Section - Attention, Learning, Memory

Integrative Statement

Research on children’s self-regulated learning (SRL) emphasizes the importance of metacognition and task persistence. However, effects of metacognition (monitoring accuracy and regulation of study) and persistence on SRL performance were only investigated in isolation. This study measured self-monitoring, restudy selections, and task persistence in conjunction, to investigate how these factors affect learning outcomes during self-regulated learning for 4th and 6th graders in elementary school. We hypothesized that for both age groups, task persistence, monitoring accuracy, and restudy selections would explain children’s concept learning performance.

Participants (204 children, 97 4th graders (M 10.4 years) and 107 6th graders (M 12.3 years) self-regulated their learning of difficult concepts. The task was completed on a tablet computer. For the task, they could learn a maximum of 24 difficult concepts with their definitions. These concepts were presented in random order in blocks of 4 concepts. In each block, children studied the 4 concepts, took a test for the 4 concepts, and then monitored their performance by making self-score judgments. After monitoring performance, the children could either decide to a) continue to a next block; b) restudy items from the current block, or c) stop with the task.

Data sources are:
• Persistence: The number of concepts children decide to study (range: 4 – 24).
• Monitoring accuracy (bias): The mean deviation between monitoring judgments (range 0-3) and test performance (range 0-3) per item. A deviation of 0 indicate perfect monitoring, deviations > 0 show an overconfidence bias, deviations < 0 indicate underconfidence.
• Restudy selections: The proportion of learned concepts that are selected for restudy.
• Performance: Final test performance (range: 0 – 24).

Conform expectations, persistence and self-monitoring accuracy were strong predictors of performance. For 6th graders, persistence and monitoring accuracy more strongly affected performance than for 4th graders.
Surprisingly, the proportion of restudy selections did not have additional effects on learning outcomes. Although restudy was based on monitoring judgments, monitoring accuracy had a strong and direct effect on performance. That is, children who were less overconfident showed higher task performance. Presumably, children who accurately monitored their learning progress already used these insights into their learning during the initial study trial. Children who showed more accurate monitoring (i.e., less biased) seemed to spend more time studying in task Phase 1 (less overconfidence was related to more study time, r = -.22, p = .002), and it seems that they did not need to compensate for a lack of understanding through restudy.

Although joint effects of metacognitive and motivational factors on SRL were theoretically assumed, this study is the first to show that both factors explain learning outcomes.

Authors

• Mariëtte van Loon, University of Bern, Switzerland
  Presenting Author

• Lisa Son, Barnard College New York
  Non-Presenting Author

• Janet Metcalfe, Columbia University
  Non-Presenting Author