Analysis
5.2 Qualitative research
5.2.1 Motivation and goal setting
Self-regulated learning is imperative to encourage positive student performance.
According to the interviews, one way to foster self-regulated learning skills among
students is through peer-feedback. More so, as per the responses, the students
employed different learning strategies that made it simpler for them to achieve their
learning objectives. For instance, Valerie, one of the respondents, indicated that she
uses a variety of learning strategies like peer evaluation. In the interview, she said:
I would like to discuss with others how to achieve my learning goal or how to achieve
it by adopting the learning strategy of peer-evaluation. For me, I think it works.
From this response, it is apparent that getting peer-feedback can promote positive
learning outcomes since it inspires students to pursue learning activities. In the
process of peer-feedback, it is necessary that group members are familiar with each
other’s work. As a result, learners are compelled to work harder so that they can get
favorable reviews concerning their work. At the same time, peer-feedback helps
students improve their SRL skills by keeping them more motivated.
When students take time to share their thoughts regarding the works of their peers,
they are giving their peers the motivation to perform better. It is also pertinent to
consider that a good reviewer is one who has an intimate connection with the study
material. Therefore, for the students to be able to give sensible reviews on works
completed by their peers, they will have to properly prepare by reading the course
material. This preparation to provide sensible reviews can also be a motivating factor
for students to perform well. The response from Valerie shows that peer-feedback
does a great job towards improving student performance. It encourages students to be
closer to each other and this makes their advice and opinions more meaningful as
compared to feedback from teachers. Peer-reviews also permit a feedback process
whereby students can gain meaningful insight from their peers. Students definitely
find it easier to communicate with their peers than to communicate with educators.
This simply means that students can easily seek feedback from their peers compared
to educators.
As such, students develop a better likelihood of identifying areas in their study that
require improvement. Encouragement from their friends also ensures that they are
motivated to meet their goals and targets. When a student is corrected by a classmate,
they are more likely to dedicate their efforts towards resolving the error since their
friend will most likely review their other work in the future. As such, peer-feedback
assists with the process of goal-setting, which helps improve students’ learning
attitudes and abilities. Hence, through peer-reviews, students motivate each other to
perform better, while also helping each other set learning goals and targets.
The first interview question on goal-setting revealed that most of the students had
clear goals regarding their learning activities. Particularly, eight out of the ten students
who participated in the interview said that they have clear set goals and objectives to
facilitate their learning. This shows that students set goals even though it was not a
course requirement. As such, it becomes apparent that a majority of the students are
self-motivated to improve their performance. They take it upon themselves to set
targets and goals that will ensure their performance is above the minimal requirement.
To give an example, this is Michael’s take on goal-setting:
I have clear learning goals. I set my goals according to the teacher’s requirements for
a course and my own interests.
Based on the response, it is apparent that the teacher gives the students some form of
guidance that helps students in shaping their goals. This is important in learning
environments since it ensures that the goals developed by students are directed
towards accomplishing success in their learning activities. When students solely rely
on themselves to formulate learning goals, they could come up with goals that are
irrelevant to their learning activities. For instance, depending on talents and hobbies,
students may find their passion in extra-curricular activities, and it is imperative for
the teachers to direct their goal setting to ensure that the students do not waste
valuable time on trivial activities. On the other hand, although most of the students
demonstrated that goal-setting was possible, Lily stated that she was hampered from
setting goals by her understanding the rigidity of the learning experience. Below is the
response of the students to the interview question:
You don’t have a study plan, you learn by the book the teacher assigned you the day
before, you learn from the Moodle.
In hindsight, learners like Lily are expected to be in control of the information they
learned. However, in instances when teachers made it clear that their learning
expectations are based on the requirements of the syllabus, the students would feel
that their freedom to choose was limited. In this regard, Lily has a point when she
implied that the rigidity of the learning experience hampered her goal-setting. On the
other hand, those who claimed that they set goals and targets wanted to assure good
performance in examinations. For instance, this is Luke’s response when asked about
goal-setting:
I set my own short-term goals and long-term goals. According to the current
situation, and then the time, and the intensity of the formulation. For example, in the
TEM-8 exam in the past April, I set a short-term goal to pass the TEM-8 exam.
Luke had a clearly defined short-term goal when it comes to the TEM-8 exams
because the student understands that it is his role to set goals with regard to what he
will gain from the learning objectives. In connection to this, it would be important to
point out that students are often not in a position to dictate what the curriculum should
offer. Therefore, when Lily indicates that there is rigidity preventing her from setting
individual goal, she must have misunderstood the question, or had not taken the
initiative to lead her learning process. Nevertheless, despite this case, it still remains
apparent that students at the learning institution have well-articulated goals that
contribute towards improving their learning outcomes.
5.2.2 Help-seeking
Help-seeking is a trait that promotes success among students since no one is born with
a complete understanding of everything. It is imperative for learners to understand
and identify the areas in which they are weak, so that they can seek assistance from
their classmates or from their learning instructors. Through the habit of help-seeking,
the students will be able to improve their knowledge and skills on variety of subjects
and this would later on contribute to their positive academic outcomes. The interviews
showed that the students relied on different methods to improve their knowledge. The
question that probed students on their preferred learning strategies gave the study
insight on the student’s tendencies to seek assistance. Given that classes currently take
place through online platforms, students face unique challenges that force them to rely
intensively on themselves. However, in the event of challenges, they could use
different ways to obtain help, and the preferred methods varied from respondent to
respondent. In the case of Michael, he would rather be independent so he rarely seeks
for assistance from others to overcome learning challenges. With regard to other
students, some of them considered the challenges as learning opportunities since it
can help them formulate an effective learning strategy. For instance, Valerie claimed
that group discussion helped her overcome different learning challenges. Whenever
she encounters problems, she would consult her peers through group discussion,
allowing them to mutually benefit from each other academically. During the
interview, Valerie shared:
I would like to discuss with others how to achieve my learning goal or how to achieve
it by adopting the learning strategy of peer evaluation. For me, I think it works.
The student demonstrates that she does not encounter any difficulties asking for help
from her friends, and this is a necessary skill when it comes to self-regulated learning.
In order for an individual to identify an area that would require them to get help from
others, they will have to perform some critical thinking to assess the level of their
knowledge. At the same time, when they ask for help, they will be able to solve
problems faster. In the end, this can give them more free time to perform other
constructive activities that can positively contribute to their academic success.
5.2.3 Environment structuring
Environment also significantly affects SRL. Even after students set productive goals
and follow the best strategies, their efforts may be futile if they do not carefully
consider their learning environment. A favorable environment must be free from
distractions, and should motivate an individual to work at their optimum capacities
(Panadero, 2017). According to the interviews, the students did not demonstrate
significant concerns about their environment. Actually, they had enough freedom to
control their surroundings to improve their ability to learn. Most of respondents also
indicated that they had the option of moving into a quitter place to facilitate their
learning. Below is the response from Jack, one of the respondents:
I will choose a quieter environment, which is very helpful for my study. Noise is very
bad for my concentration.
The student response reveals that the students are capable of regulating their learning
activities by selecting environments that are accommodating. Students are also
capable of stationing themselves in areas that are free from distractors like noise. As a
result, the students can concentrate on achieving their goals and improving the quality
of their learning. Out of the ten students who participated in the interview, there was
only one student who did not give a clear response as to whether he/she could control
his/her environment to improve learning outcomes. The student also did not explicitly
indicate that he/she had no control over his/her environment either. In this regard,
since the response from the student lacked clarity, it was not categorized as an
indicator that he/she had control over his/her learning environment. Below is Lily’s
response with regard to environment structuring:
I think for me or rely on their own consciousness with a reliable.
5.2.4 Time management
Effective self-regulated learning cannot take place without proper time management.
Proper strategy implementation to accomplish set goals requires proper time
management. Any student who wishes to undertake learning activities on their own
must have proficient time management skills. The student must have the ability to
plan and follow a schedule and they must also allocate time for study to ensure that
this do not conflict with their other activities (Jansen et al., 2020). In order to evaluate
how students fare in relation to time management, the interview presented students
with a question that would allow them to evaluate their use of time as they undertook
online classes. Below is interview question number five:
How do you manage your online study time? Does your teacher (yourself) provide
(establish) a specific time frame to indicate how long a particular task will take to
complete? Do you think it’s necessary (Q5)?
The question has three different parts and its intention is to find out how students
made use of their time and whether they considered themselves as the managers of
their time. The first part of the question asked the students how they manage their
study time. The ones that have high skills in self-regulated learning would probably
respond that they were in charge of managing their time, while their less motivated
counterparts would place the onus on the learning instructors. The second part
determines whether they are provided with specific timeframes to complete their
projects. When it comes to personal project, they were asked if they still apply the
same principles in time management. Finally, the third part of the interview question
prompts students to determine how they perceive the concept of time. This question
also gave them time to think about whether projects should follow certain dates in
order to promote timely completion. As expected, the students demonstrated different
views when it comes to time management. According to Michael, time management
duties are performed by the educator. The student follows the guide of the teacher to
attend lessons during evening hours and sometimes in the afternoon. In addition,
Michael also does not believe that the time frame set on projects is imperative. His
response was as follows:
The general time for class is in the evening, and one afternoon will be specially
selected to preview and sort out the contents of the evening class. No, not necessary,
because still want to undertake arrangement according to oneself actual
circumstance.
The student demonstrated that he did not have keen interest on time, and he did not
take the initiative to dedicate some time for his learning activities. Aside from the
time allocated for study by their learning instructor, the student did not attempt to set
aside time on his own accord. As such, it would be difficult for the student to
undertake effective self-regulated learning activities. Some of the other students also
demonstrated poor command over time management, and Valerie is an example.
Although the student had a good understanding of the concept of time and how each
individual could conduct their own studies through effective time management, the
student failed to understand the urgency of time. Below is the student’s response.
The teacher did not give a specific time frame to illustrate a task. I also feel there is
no need for that because some students may learn faster and have stronger learning
ability, they can finish faster, some other students, is the ability to lean almost. They
can finish the slower. Everyone has different ability.
Although the student recognizes that time is specific to every individual; the
perspective is flawed because the student failed to understand the importance of time.
It is vital for the teacher to give timelines on projects, since that ensures there is
enough time to complete all course requirements. Therefore, because the student sees
nothing wrong if students take their time to complete projects and learning activities,
self-regulated learning may be impeded by the lack of definite planning. In self-
regulated learning, students will have to properly manage their time so that they can
properly accomplish their learning objectives. It was deplorable that none of the ten
respondents of the study had comprehensive time management strategies. They either
relied on timelines set by their teachers, or they never gave a thought about time
management. Definitely, that will negatively impact their self-regulated learning
activities, probably affecting student outcomes during this period of online learning.
5.2.5 Self-evaluation
Also, imperative to self-regulatory learning is self-evaluation. Any effective self-
regulated learning program requires persons to set goals that will determine whether
they are successful or not. Self-evaluation refers to the ability of an individual to
assess how they have used their strengths and resources to achieve a particular goal
(Jansen et al., 2020). The more frequent the evaluation, the better. That is because
evaluations enable persons to understand areas of shortcoming that require more
attention. As such, self-evaluation enables students to refocus themselves towards
achieving their goals by assessing what went right and what went wrong. The
interviews showed that the students believed that self-evaluation is critical to
academic success. The students unanimously expressed that self-evaluation is
important. They demonstrated that self-evaluation made them learn more about
themselves, improving their interaction with classroom material. Coupled with
periodic evaluation remarks from the teachers, the students could improve their
performance by responding to areas in which they performed dismally. Alice
responded as follows to the essence of self-evaluation in learning activities:
Important. Having self-knowledge and self-evaluation is of great help to one’s
progress. Teachers will provide feedback on your periodic performance so that
students can understand themselves correctly.
Although the respondents indicated that they massively depended on evaluations
performed by their teachers, students also need to develop their skills in conducting
self-regulated learning. The students must develop the capability of assessing their
knowledge and skills without the intervention of teachers and that will make them
more prepared at facilitating their personal learning activities. Presently, they are
somehow dependent, but the teaching strategy still plays an important role since it
helps them learn more about self-evaluation. Clearly, the student develops the skills to
evaluate themselves using the correct metrics, and that eliminates the possibility of
irregularities in their personal assessment (Panadero, 2017). However, as it stands, the
students require more self-evaluation practice to ensure that they are capable of
effectively leading themselves through learning activities.
Group discussion
Independent learning
5.28 Learning-centered approaches to promote self-regulated learning
Chapter 6 Discussion
What are the answers to my research question 123:
Discuss around the research issues
The discussion section title can be translated directly into my research question
Put in the relevant analysis and summary section
6.1 Status of student’s self-regulatory skills
So, what does the collected data have to say about the presence of SRL skills in the
students? Of course, the SRL skills are indispensable when it comes to online
learning, and they determine whether the students will be able to satisfactorily
complete learning requirements. The study was interested in the Zimmerman’s sub-
processes of self-regulated learning as well as the four different dimensions that
students can use to regulate their study habits.
Zimmerman’s sub-processes exist in three different phases that are continuous and
interdependent on each other (Komatsu, Rappleye & Silova, 2021). Ideally, students
can begin with the process of forethought. At the forethought process, they can
perform tasks such as task analysis, or self-motivation. With task analysis, the
function of the student is to gain a deeper understanding of the task ahead so that they
can formulate a workable strategy, and a goal for their efforts.
From the research, it became apparent that most of the students had considerable
skills in task analysis. That is because the students demonstrated the ability to
understand what the learning institution expects from them, and formulate goals that
would ensure satisfactory performance. The students relied on different techniques to
set goals. For instance, a student demonstrated that they relied on discussions with
other students to formulate their learning goals and objectives. Definitely, interacting
with others is a good approach towards task analysis since the students get the
opportunity to understand course material from the perspectives of their peers. Goal
setting was not standard for all students, and some relied on instructions provided by
the teachers to formulate their goals. Goals set following such criteria were mostly
academic, and students set standards they were hoping to achieve through the
completion of the course work. Some students were poor in goal setting, and that is
because they did not take enough time to analyze tasks assigned to them. For instance,
one of the respondents indicated that goals for the course were determined by the
teachers who prepared their learning programs. Considering that the student did not
carefully assess the task at hand, they were incapable of setting useful educational
goals.
As for strategic planning, students depended on directives provided by teachers,
personal strategies, or brainstorming with peers. The teachers were mainly important
because they helped the students with time management. According to the analysis,
the students performed poorly in the self-regulated learning skill of time management.
The teachers designed learning programs, and assigned time frames for task
completion. Although the students followed the instructions of the teachers with
regards to time management, they never took the initiative to manage time on their
own. They only followed what was instructed, but did not consider time as something
they could manipulate to improve their academic performance. Perhaps what is
concerning from the observation is that the teachers were not able to instill the skill of
time management to the learners through the learner-centered approaches to
pedagogy.
In Zimmerman’s sub processes of self-regulated learning, the phase that follows the
forethought phase is the performance phase (Singhal, 2017). In the performance
phase, students take control of their learning activities to ensure that their
performances are satisfactory. As such, students must engage in activities of self-
observation and self-control to ensure that their actions are directed towards
promoting positive results.
The interviews shed light on some of the self-control strategies used by the students to
ensure that their performances are satisfactory. For instance, the students took control
of their environments to ensure that they favored learning activities. Everyone has
their preferences regarding environments that promote learning, and the results
showed that all students knew what would favor them, and reacted in ways that
promoted the best learning outcomes. A majority of the respondents favored quiet
environments that would allow them to engage in learning activities without
distractions. As classes continue to take place online, such skills could prove essential
at promoting favorable student performances since learners can control their environs
to maximize learning benefits.
At this juncture, it is imperative to consider that efficient time management is a skill
that is important in both the forethought phase and in the performance phase. In the
forethought phase, time management plays an integral role in the proper allocation of
time resources. Time is a fleeting resource, and when students plan their academic
activities, they must properly allocate enough time from different activities. Thus far,
it is apparent that the students did not have sufficient time management skills.
Therefore, lack of the skill probably impacted the performance phase of their studies
according to the Zimmerman’s sub processes of self-regulated learning. Proper time
management is essential for satisfactory performance since it ensures that students
have ample time to work on projects. As such, perhaps the learning instructors will
have to dedicate more efforts towards their learner-centered approaches to teaching in
order to ensure that the students are competent in time management.
The final phase of the Zimmerman’s sub processes of self-regulated learning is the
self-reflection phase. Considering that the sub processes operate as a cycle, the self-
regulation phase functions to educate a learner about the things that prevent their
success. Therefore, when the learner gets back to the forethought stage again, they
will be aware of issues that caused them to perform dismally the last time out. During
the self-reflection phase, students could engage in a variety of activities that sharpen
their self-regulated learning skills.
As per the study, the students had exemplary skills in self-evaluation. They
demonstrated that self-evaluation was essential for academic success. Therefore, even
though students are undertaking learning activities through online platforms, they still
have the potential to perform highly because they are willing to evaluate themselves
and learn from their mishaps. Through self-evaluation, the students can reinvent
themselves to work harder and achieve positive results. Given that all interview
respondents indicated that they were aware of the essence of self-evaluation, it is
apparent that they possess a skill that is imperative for self-regulated learning. It is
possible that the students obtained the skill and understood its essence from the
educators. As per the assessment of the students, teachers played a major role in
helping students self-evaluate through the provision of feedback. The learner-centered
approach to learning allows for more personalized feedback for every student, and
that promotes the development of self-evaluation skills since students learn the
essence of analyzing past performances to understand what they did wrong or right.
The self-reflection sub process presented by Zimmerman also assists students develop
SRL skills in the form of help-seeking (Singhal, 2017). Students are not equally
endowed academically, but through interdependence and coordination, they may be
able to support each other perform better. As such, it is imperative for students to
collaborate and seek help from each other with academic challenges. Some students
may find challenges asking for help, and it is important for teachers to instill help-
seeking skills in them so that they can be capable of learning effectively on their own.
The study analysis showed that the respondents did not face any difficulties seeking
help from their peers. Because their learning program allowed for the use of peer-
feedback, students were open to discuss their issues with peers to remove any doubts
regarding study material. In order for students to develop the skill of seeking help,
they must be good at self-reflecting. Through self-reflecting, the students can
understand areas that they require assistance, enabling them to perform better on their
own.
6.2 Traditional learner-centered approaches that can be assessed for
effectiveness in self-regulated learning
The inquiry-based approach to learner-centered learning is an online learning method
that can be assessed for its effectiveness in promoting the development of self-
regulated learning skills. With inquiry-based learning, the learning instructors learn
more about the needs of a student depending on the questions that the student
presents. The strategy is mainly essential during the initial stages of engagement
between the learners and the educators, and it gives the educators more insight into
the nature of the students.
So, what is the effectiveness of the inquiry-based approach in teaching students skills
on self-regulated learning? The method compels students to think critically about
things, and in the process they develop skills that are essential towards regulating their
learning. For instance, when students are asked what they expect to learn from a
course, they unconsciously set learning objectives for themselves. Based on the
response from the instructor regarding their goals, they could formulate better goals or
stick to the ones that they have set for themselves. Either way, learning instructors
will have to perform additional tests to ascertain whether the learner-centered
approach has improved the goal-setting skills in students.
The flipped classroom method is another learner-centered approach that can be
assessed for effectiveness in the development of self-regulated learning skills for
online students. With the approach, students are expected to learn outside the class,
and present their findings in the form of responses, blog posts, or quizzes (Panadero,
2017). Since the method encourages students to rely on themselves for the
understanding of course material, teachers can assess their responses to determine if
the method is useful in promoting development of SRL skills. Dependent on the
responses students deliver, the educators can assess how they set their learning
objectives. In addition, metrics such as the timely delivery of assignments can speak
volumes about the time management skills of the students. Following teacher
feedback, the method can also be assessed for the development of self-evaluation
skills depending on how students respond to criticism.
6.3 Learner-Centered Approaches that can be Developed and Implemented to
Promote Self-Regulated Learning
This part explores learner-centered approaches that can be developed and
implemented to promote self-regulated learning in an online environment. Thus far, it
is evident that the students are proficient in SRL skills such as goal setting; help-
seeking; environment structuring; and self-evaluation. Therefore, the area that
requires swift attention is time management. So, which learner-centered approaches
can educators use to promote the development of the skill among the students?
As learning processes take place via online platforms, educators could improve time
management skills through planning learning activities in advance. As students learn
from home, they face challenges that are not common in traditional learning
environments. For instance, they face busy schedules and distractions. As such,
students must learn how to allocate time for study activities. Online students are more
flexible than traditional students, and that is disadvantageous since it may negatively
impact their learning activities. Therefore, teachers need to provide students with
sufficient time to go through learning materials and to complete assignments and
group activities. Teachers can help students learn about time management by setting
deadlines for projects and assignments (Komatsu, Rappleye & Silova, 2021). Such a
move will ensure that students learn how to manage their time and distractors such as
internet surfing so that they can be able to meet deadlines.
Another way that educators can promote the development of time management skills
in students is through teaching them how to focus. When students multitask, they
become less productive. As such, teachers must train the students to focus on one task
at a time with undivided attention. For students to learn how to focus on a given task
explicitly, they will also learn the skill of prioritizing (Panadero, 2017). With the three
skills on time management, students will have improved self-regulated learning
capabilities, and that will most likely translate into improved academic performance
for the students.
Although the students demonstrated a strong control over their learning environs, their
self-regulated learning skills can benefit from the creation of virtual office spaces.
Convenient working environments will not only help the students have improved SRL
skills, but it will also improve their time management skills. For online studies,
students may require high-speed internet in environments that are free from noise and
distractors. The lighting must be correct as per the requirements of the student, while
the environment must also be comfortable enough to guarantee optimal performance.
Also, before students embark on study activities, they must have all study resources
within their reach. That includes things such as course material and the appropriate
software to complete online study activities. The environment plays a major role in
determining the speed of learning as well as task completion. Therefore, with proper
control over their learning environments, learners will develop better time
management skills, improving their self-regulated learning readiness.
One of the most significant themes in an online learning environment is student-
centered instruction. Therefore, students are always encouraged to direct their
learning while developing the strategy of working with others to achieve culturally
and socially relevant assignments. Students are then expected to become more self-
confident, self-directed, and proactive in an online environment. That plays a
significant role in preparing them to become problem-solvers and lifelong learners.
Therefore, there are various strategies that teachers can use in the online environment,
especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Group discussion is one of the learner-centered approaches that can be developed and
implemented to promote self-regulated learning, especially during the COVID-19
Pandemic. Students should always be provided with the autonomy and ownership of
selecting the approaches they want to use during their learning and how they can
effectively demonstrate their mastery as part of the integral online environment.
Group discussion is one of the key go-to strategies that teachers need to develop to
increase student ownership and differentiate instruction. They can provide students
with new information, allowing them to practice their skills and gain access to the
students' mastery or a combination of all three factors.
Therefore, a group discussion provides students with an opportunity of completing a
curated group of tasks that can play a critical role in helping them develop mastery of
a particular skill. There are various benefits associated with this strategy. All of them
focus on providing the students with an opportunity to take ownership of how they
can be moving content at their speed.
Without the physical presence in the classroom, it is always important for them to
establish a virtual presence in the online environment. Therefore, the Group
discussions plays a significant role in providing the online teachers with an
opportunity to maintain effective engagement and supporting their students right from
the beginning of a course and throughout the course to achieve an effective learning
environment. The establishment of teacher presence through the group discussions
can help show the students that their teachers are both visible and available.
The group discussion provides the teacher with an opportunity of welcoming their
students to a new learning community just the same way they would have done during
the traditional classroom. Therefore, the teacher need to provide their students with
their respective days and timeframes they will be available and approaches they can
use in contacting them while outside the indicated hours. Group discussions in class,
the teacher will join in, and put forward suggestions, after the discussion with students
learning and discussion, but after the class, need groups to complete the homework,
students need to make their own division of labor cooperation, group learning, but the
teacher will arrange the time in class, each group can communicate with the teacher
alone which is especially true when making presentations or group assignments. That
can positively contribute towards making their experiences more personal and
memorable.
Additionally, the group discussion provides the students with an opportunity of
making their own choices. That contributes to increasing their intrinsic motivation,
which can generally be reflected towards developing more meaningful learning for
the students. By using the group discussion, students are provided with a better
opportunity to internalize content, especially when learning activity becomes more
interesting to them or once they can connect to what they are being taught with their
own lives.
The group discussion provides the students with a variety of learning styles, allowing
the students to explore content being taught in different ways that excite them most.
That approach can generally be perceived as empowerment. That is mainly because of
how the students are provided with opportunities of navigating to activities that work
best for them in the online environment. Therefore, it is important for effective
designing of the group discussions, especially in an online environment, to explore
more additional learning styles other than the traditional ones.
Group discussion still encourage students to select some of the key activities that
benefit them. That includes making the online learning environment more
comfortable for the students and providing them with opportunities of taking risks and
challenging themselves. Group discussions still provide the students with an
opportunity to maintain a growth mindset and discourage them from choosing
activities that do not impact them positively towards their growth academically.
However, all that is always the students' choice, but the group discussions should be
designed to help the students choose activities that align with their respective
standards.
Another learner-centered approach is online brainstorming, which includes
conducting a brainstorming session online through various online whiteboards and
file-sharing apps. The approach allows all students to propose their ideas freely
(Martin & Bolliger, 2018). That is mainly because of how challenging it can be for
one to develop new ideas, especially when they are close to the issue. Therefore,
inviting others through online brainstorming plays a significant role in bringing others
into the conversation. They bring new ways of performing an activity since they are
less familiar with the issue, hence speaking out openly about some of the new ideas
they can think of. Although not all ideas are considered great, that plays a key role in
bringing up the next point.
Online brainstorming can help in developing teamwork among the students through
the creation of a team atmosphere. Brainstorming can never take place without the
students. Therefore, inviting other students into the online brainstorming can help
solidify that all students are on the same team hence opening up opportunities for
asking for help from one another. Online brainstorming can provide the students with
opportunities to think more creatively about the topics they were initially discussing.
All ideas brought out by the students during online brainstorming do not have to stand
on their own. It is always important for the students to state ideas during online
learning, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic , even if that is not the perfect
solution since that can play a significant role in making something click for someone
else. The general idea of developing online brainstorming in the online environment is
sharing ideas that act as the critical approach to triggering new ideas, hence
developing a chain of thoughts. Students cannot develop new ideas during online
brainstorming when ideas are generally shut down. Therefore, that can limit the
students from sharing their ideas and limiting the amount of success that can be
attained from every session.
Another critical reason for having online brainstorming for students is to help in
breaking the normal routine. Since various issues should be solved during the online
environment, brainstorming sessions can be beneficial to the students since they can
help reveal the students' improvements. Online brainstorming includes all students
writing down ideas that act as one of the most significant ways to ensure no ideas get
lost. One way online brainstorming can be beneficial to the students is to ensure they
participate in the sessions and list ideas that can help them build off in the future.
Although not all things can be applicable during that time, a list of things may help
the students think creatively shortly, especially when the actual sessions occur.
Online brainstorming plays a significant role in the provision of a supportive online
community for the students. One of the critical ways that can help in achieving all that
is through encouraging student-to-student interactions. During the start of the online
brainstorming, students should always be encouraged to introduce the group. That
should then be followed by creating an open forum or discussion board where all
students can be provided with an opportunity to request help from either other
students or the teachers and develop peer-to-peer support (Van Popta et al., 2017).
Small groups should then be set up similar to the traditional study groups for
mentoring other students.
Encouraging people to speak in class can also serve as another learner-centered
approach. One of the key reasons why encouraging people to speak in class tend to
benefit the online environment is their convenience. Encouraging people to speak in
class can always be set at a time that is convenient for all students. The students do
not have to leave their homes, and the approach tends to benefit since most of the
students may arrive home from school during the traditional routine while tired or
worried about their home situations. The teachers tend to reduce such anxiety of the
students during the online environment hence getting them more focused on what is
being taught.
Students are more focused during the discussions. Because of the convenience of the
discussions, students are less distracted, tired, and stressed. That increases the chances
of the students focusing on the topic. During the discussions, after short greetings
from the teacher, they can then dive right into the topic of discussion while spending
much more time discussing it and the students getting less distracted. Studies show
that much more content is normally covered during the discussions compared to the
face-to-face classroom.
Students can naturally go to more depth of a topic when encouraged to speak in class
since the students are normally provided with different threads on which students post
at different times during the online environment. Students are normally provided with
more considerations towards a specific topic. A topic can be posted on the discussion
thread, and then the students start going on for paragraphs while developing their
ideas without getting bored on the way or losing track of their thoughts. Students still
do not get distracted during the discussion from noises coming from other classes
during the traditional classrooms. During the discussions, students intending to leave
the chat room due to something else going on in their live environment can do so with
minimal distractions to the rest of the classroom.
Encouraging people to speak in class provide more introverted students with an
opportunity of participating more in the course work. Studies show that more
introverted students normally perform better during the discussions since they are
provided with the time required to reflect on what is being discussed in class
compared to the time they are provided during face-to-face communication.
Encouraging people to speak in class play a significant role in equalizing the
contributions and participation of both the introverts and extroverts since the
extroverted students that in most cases dominate during the face-to-face interactions
are not necessarily the more insightful.
Encouraging people to speak in class still play a significant role in bringing more
diverse perspectives from the students. Since the discussions can accommodate
students from different backgrounds, they all come up with different perspectives to a
topic under study hence developing different information with different
understandings. With the nature of a school being located within a specific location,
most of the discussion was based on the students' perspectives from that location and
from students they have grown up together, hence meaning they can relate to their
perspectives of discussions.
The students are also provided with an opportunity of increasing their ability to limit
remarks that are not constructive in any way. Not all discussions presented in the
face-to-face classrooms are constructive or even welcome. Therefore, some students
tend to be obstructive to such processes and may deliberately engage in various
behaviors, including making inappropriate remarks on a topic. During the traditional
classroom, such students may take most of the teachers` time trying to guide them on
a specific topic. The teachers may claim not to have seen such student's inappropriate
contributions.
6.4 Prospects and Improvements
This part discusses the prospects and improvements that can be made on the students'
self-regulatory learning skills.
Today, students are fortunate to have the technology that plays a significant role in
collaborating and engaging with one another just as if they were in a classroom. Most
of the studies argue that most of the activities that can be conducted online make it
possible to create a variety of effective learning environments. The most effective
online teachers are expected to use synchronous and asynchronous activities,
especially when creating a connection between the traditional teaching styles within
the new ones, which consists of more collaborative audio and visual tools. Therefore,
it is believed that working with a mix of activities will then make the content being
presented to the students online more interesting and exciting. That will significantly
increase the students` engagement with both their fellow students and teachers. It will
also be important for the students to learn more about blending learning models and
some of the critical differences between online and traditional face-to-face classroom
teaching. It will also be important for the students to understand some of the key ways
of introducing collaborative learning into their online program.
Improving on the online learning approaches played a critical role in providing quick
delivery of lessons to the students. Unlike the traditional classroom teaching
approaches, the online learning method has quick delivery cycles. That means there
will be a significant decrease in the amount of time spent in learning compared to the
traditional learning (Tareen & Haand, 2020). There are a variety of reasons why
learning will reduce as a result of the online learning. Some of such reasons include
the fact that lessons will be starting quickly and ending in a single learning session.
Another reason is that learners will have the ability of defining their own speed of
earning rather than relying on the speed of the whole group. Additionally, students
will have the ability of choosing to study specific and relevant areas of learning
material without necessarily having to focus on what is being taught on the daily
basis.
Implementing online learning also helped in reducing costs unlike the traditional
forms of learning. One of the key reasons why such reduction in cost takes place is
because of how learning through the online learning happens quickly and easily. Such
cost effectiveness can then help organizations in enhancing profitability. Additionally,
when the students are reading at their own place they are normally relieved from
paying travelling expenses.
Providing feedback will be one of the critical components of maintaining an effective
environment, especially online learning. Providing feedback to the students will help
create an online learning experience that informs, engages, and motivates the students.
Therefore, teachers will be expected to provide their students with constructive
feedback as soon as possible so that the student can have the opportunity to identify
some of the key areas they need to improve on. The teachers can also engage group
feedback through collaborative exercises that can help the students develop peer
engagement.
6.5 Summary of the Key Finding
The presence of digital technology and digital classrooms are manifestations of a
modern education system and students can only go so far with their access to
technology. In a world where virtual reality and digital classrooms are becoming a
feature of formal education, having a personal computer and a reliable internet
connection is a sure advantage. Meanwhile, aside from access and privilege — do
students learning and/or are being flexible?
Having the initiative to control decisions concerning learning can be associated with
skills in self-regulatory learning. Learners tend to have a clear direction on the best
way to approach difficulties when learning (Onah & Sinclair, 2017). Features that will
suffice the learner’s needs should be created to foster self-directed study skills. Hence,
the learning method should be flexible and immersive to adapt to changes in the
online learning environment. The data collected revealed that self-regulatory learning
behaviors reflect a positive relationship between students' attitudes towards online
learning and interactions with academic excellence. Therefore, good behaviors in self-
regulatory learning mediate the collaboration between academic achievement and
responses of online courses from learners. Besides, the students who reported a high
degree of self-regulation when studying could improve their academic performance
(Brak, Lan, & Paton, 2010). To engage in self-directed learning, students must first
adopt a positive attitude towards learning, and this will help to increase their interest
to learn, engage, and participate in academic development.
Teachers should ensure that they create positive learning environments for their
students and “that the teacher has a duty to engage, to create romance that can
transform apathy into interest, and, if a teacher does his/her job well, a sort of
transference of enthusiasm from teacher to student takes place” (Lahey, n.d.). Thus,
education should be a performance art — finding ways to teach content while keeping
students interested.
On a positive note, technology has impacted to the emergence of online learning. The
study depicts that most students prefer virtual knowledge to face-to-face learning
since it increases their engagement. Besides, students are in a comfortable
environment, and this helps to increase their learning abilities and interest. Self-
regulated learning enable students to focus on their learning capabilities. The learning
environment is beneficial to a learner since they have the freedom to cover the topic,
they may want (Barnard, Lan, To, Paton, & Lai, 2009). The OSLQ played a
significant role in assessing the student’s abilities in the online environment. The
questionnaire also guided investigating the methods that students can employ to
improve their self-regulatory learning skills.
The research centered on addressing the learners’ approaches applicable during
learning. The study adopted instrumental tools used in achieving feedback on the
learning outcomes of the self-regulated learning method. Based on the responses from
students, it has been identified that learners that understand the purpose of the self-
regulated studies are more likely to benefit from the learning method than those with
less knowledge. Besides, having a clear approach about the goals to be achieved from
the learning method is critical to a learner's success. Some students prefer studying
alone and can portray a low ability to seek help from their tutors and fellow students
(Onah & Sinclair, 2017). Individuals that attained higher scores proved that they had
quality self-regulatory skills. The students could therefore perform better in an online
learning environment. Therefore, learners with self-regulatory skills can enhance their
knowledge.
Learners employ self-efficacy to increase their ability to master a learning task. In
self-regulated learning, learners should develop goals that will help them monitor
their skills and attain their learning objectives. Time management is a crucial strategy
in enhancing academic performance in SRL. The independence rate of students is also
achieved, and the learning opportunities are beyond those planned by their tutors.
Quick feedback is also attained in the online learning environment. Unlike the face-
to-face learning, a student can concentrate more on their weaknesses and seek help
from their teachers freely. In face-to-face learning, the tutors tend to waste time
helping every child, contributing to slow education for some students. The role of
teachers in SRL is to provide guidance and not solutions (Demirören, Turan, & Teker,
2020). Besides, they should ensure that they help students formulate questions that
they should ask themselves when learning independently. Self-regulated learning
should be encouraged in schools as it allows students to develop flexibility and
critical thinking skills – that is collaborative and impactful.
In conclusion, it is evident that despite the rapid implementation of e-learning,
students have significant self-regulatory skills because of previous encounters with
online learning. However, as the system is being implemented on a full-time basis,
more learning and skill development is required, especially in self-regulatory systems
and teacher-student interaction. Currently, both parties are facing communication
challenges due to lack of face-to-face communication. These methods help learners to
maintain a level of focus by developing aggressive and effective solutions inside the
educational institutions at large. Also, it covers for lack of physical interaction by
engaging students in teamwork efforts such as project-based, and peer-to-peer
learning while engaging the students in the process of learning. Thus, these
developments and program assessments serve as a vital conduit between learner and
academic matter. However, it would be vital to incorporate the jigsaw learner-
centered approach.
Through the face-to-face interview method and the integration of thematic evaluation
of interview data adequately described the purpose of the research and established a
specific stand and perspective on the effects of learner-centered teaching on students’
self-regulated learning. Students expressed the willingness to engage in online
learning provided that a conducive environment from the teachers, regardless of the
communication mode and other external factors, was conducive for education.
Additionally, students expressed willingness to venture into a new system that
improves their general skills and academic capacity. However, and given that teachers
are well-trained in the performance aspect of teaching, the presence of technology and
digital classrooms as manifestations of a modern education system will suffice if the
system leads sustainable development plans and scale impact and if engagement
through performance may just be the most important skill of a teacher while being
flexible to the new learning situation. Hence, it has shown the three stages that asserts
learning: flexibility, romance, precision, and generalization.
Chapter 7 Conclusion and Recommendations
7.1 Conclusion and Limitations
The students performed well on environment structuring, help seeking, motivation
and goal setting. That is because they manipulated their environments to favor
learning activities, while also making use of student feedback to access help from
classmates. As for motivation and goal setting, some of them relied on the assistance
of their teachers, while others took the initiative to set goals for themselves. However,
the students did not perform well in time management and self-evaluation, since they
did not depend so much on themselves, as would have been the case in self-regulated
learning experiences.
Move this section to the very beginning of the discussion.
However, independent study and group discussion should also be included in this
section.
In conclusion, the purpose of this research is to explore the students’ self-regulated
learning and learners should take to help them achieve self-regulated learning online.
Developing group discussions helped in promoting self-regulated learning, especially
during the covid-19 crisis. Students were always be provided with the autonomy and
ownership of selecting the approaches they want to use during their learning and how
they can effectively demonstrate their mastery as part of the integral online
environment. Encouraging people to speak in class provided more introverted
students with an opportunity of participating more in the course work. More
introverted students performed better during the discussions since they are provided
with the time required to reflect on what is being discussed in class compared to the
time they are provided during face-to-face communication.
One of the most significant limitations of the study is in the identification of gaps and
trying to address them. Identification of that gap was generally based on the level of
accessing the existing problems. It was not easy to gain access to larger scientific
literature hence being a critical limitation. Although the group discussions provided
the students with a variety of learning styles, they were not effective on allowing
students to explore content being taught in different ways that excited them. The
group discussions were not designed effectively hence being a challenge for the
students to explore more additional learning styles other than the traditional ones.
7.2 Recommendations
One of the most significant things that teachers need to do is making online learning
content mobile. It is always important to recommend mobile learning for online
teachers since most of the students today are using their mobile devices while
learning. There are a variety of advantages that may come with the implementation of
mobile learning. One of such advantages is that mobile learning can allow the
students to access up-to-date course materials and relevant information regardless of
their location and time. Since it is believed to be bite-sized pieces of information that
are always available to be digested by the students much quicker and easier, students
can work on the course materials at their own pace, positively impacting their
performance and productivity.
Additionally, the teachers need to ensure their eLearning content can be accessed by
the students easily using various devices to maximize their teaching methods. That
will play a significant role in demonstrating to the students that their teachers are in
touch with the needs and wants of the modern workforce and are always working hard
to make sure they remain relevant to the changing technology.
With the implementation of all such strategies, the teachers can feel much more
confident that they have the required online teaching skills and possess the required
eLearning materials. The teachers will also understand that they are working towards
developing both positive and collaborative learning environments for their students.
That is mainly because of how eLearning accommodates all students. Based on their
availability and comfort, studies show that most students are willing to study during
the evenings.
Unlike traditional classroom teaching, learning online can be accessed by the students
unlimited times. That plays a significant role during revision, especially when the
students are preparing for their exams. In the traditional classroom, the failure of the
students to attend the classroom meant that the students had to prepare for that
specific topic on their own. Still, with e-learning, the students are provided with an
opportunity to attend their lectures whenever they need with a lot of ease. Another
key advantage of adopting eLearning is that it makes the students synchronize with
the modern learners. Therefore, that makes the learners gain access to updated content
whenever they need it.
References
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Directions for Research.NFrontiers In Psychology,N8. doi:
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