SELF-REGULATED LEARNING & MOTIVATION Michelle V. Hall, MA

WHAT IS SELF-REGULATION Self-regulation refers to self-generated thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that are oriented to attaining goals (Zimmerman, B., 2000). Students can actively activate their cognition, motivation, & behavior.

WHAT IS SELF-REGULATION Not a mental ability, like intelligence Not an academic skill It’s a self-directive process that learners can use to transform their intrinsic mental abilities into academic skills.

WHY SELF-REGULATED LEARNING Helps all types of learners: adults, college students, youth learners, disabled, elementary students Self-regulated learners are more likely to succeed academically and view their futures optimistically. Learner-centered approach to teaching. Is important in the development of lifelong learning skills.

SELF-REGULATED LEARNER Is proactive in learning efforts: Are aware of: strengths and limitations, best learning settings, what hinders learning Guided by personally set goals and task-related strategies Sets goals and monitor learning behavior Self-reflects on the effectiveness of strategies Monitoring & reflection enhances self-reflection and motivation to continue to improve learning

SELF-REGULATORY PROCESS

FORETHOUGHT PHASE – TASK ANALYSIS Goal setting – What do I need/want to learn? Decide on specific outcomes of learning. Strategic planning - How will learning take occur? Selection of learning strategies or methods designed to attain the desired goals

FORETHOUGHT PHASE – SELF- MOTIVATION BELIEFS Self-efficacy beliefs – How do I learn? Can I learn? Beliefs about my personal capability to learn or perform Intrinsic interest: Do I value the task? If value a task for own merits will continue efforts even in the absence of tangible rewards Learning goal orientation: Why am I learning this? If focus on the process of learning rather than competitive outcomes will learn more effectively

PERFORMANCE PHASE: SELF- CONTROL Refer to the deployment of specific methods or strategies that were selected during the forethought phase. attention focusing – need for learners to protect their intentions from distractions self-instruction – telling oneself how to proceed in a learning task

SELF-OBSERVATION Self-recording personal events or self- experimentation to find out the cause of these events. These processes inform learners of their progress. For example, if record the time it takes to perform a task; you are more likely to be aware of how effectively you are spending time

REFLECTION PHASE - SELF- JUDGMENT Self-evaluation: comparing self-observed performances against some standard, such as one’s prior performance, or feedback from an instructor. Causal attribution: beliefs about the cause of one’s errors or successes. Attributing failure to limitations in ability may imply that efforts to improve will not be effective. In contrast, attributing failure to poor processes, will sustain motivation because it implies that a different strategy may lead to success. Self-regulated learners do the latter

REFLECTION PHASE - SELF REACTION Increased feelings of self-satisfaction enhance motivation, whereas decreases in self-satisfaction undermine further efforts to learn Defensive responses: Withdrawing or avoiding opportunities to learn and perform, such as dropping a course or being absent for a test. Adaptive reactions: Adjustments are designed to increase the effectiveness of one’s method of learning, such as discarding or modifying an ineffective learning strategy.

COMING FULL CIRCLE Favorable self-reactions cyclically enhance positive forethought about oneself as a learner; the phases tend to be self-sustaining The forethought phase prepares the learner for and influences the effectiveness of the performance processes The self-reflective processes influence subsequent forethought and prepare the learner for further learning efforts to achieve mastery

HOW DO YOU DO IT? Use Metacognitive strategies Keep an academic/learning journal Set goals Plan learning activities Generate questions before, during and after reading Do a task-analysis of a problem Time management! Time management!