Becoming autonomous learners (1) : self regulated learning

Too often understood as a consequence of teaching, learning stops being seen for what it is : a transformative and empowering process. Since the progressive education movement, learning institutions have centered their discourse around the idea of autonomy and it has been raised as one of the most important 21st skills. But how does one become autonomous? In this article, we will define one aspect of autonomous learning : the self regulation.

What is the self regulation of learning?

Self regulation, “process through which humans are able to control their behavior” [1], has been studied by Albert Bandura, one of the most influential psychologist [2], in the field of motivation and learning and concluded that success in reaching one’s goals and keeping high motivation was the result of an equal interaction of self-observation, self-reaction, self-evaluation, and self-efficacy [1].

Two of Bandura’s colleagues, Barry Zimmerman and Dale Schunk expanded the question of self regulation from cognitive psychology — which studies mental processes — to educational psychology — which focuses on measuring and testing humans learning in educational contexts, in other words, moving from general to context-based research work.

They found that self-regulatory processes were leading to better success in school [3], and researched what differentiated a good self-regulator from a bad one. Zimmerman observed that self regulation in learning was neither an innate ability (such as memorizing) nor a fixed skill that could be automated (such as riding a bike) but “the selective use of specific processes that must be personally adapted to each learning task” [3]. He listed these processes as :

(a) setting specific proximal goals for oneself,
(b) adopting powerful strategies for attaining the goals,
(c) monitoring one’s performance selectively for signs of progress,
(d) restructuring one’s physical and social context to make it compatible with one’s goals,
(e) managing one’s time use efficiently,
(f) self-evaluating one’s methods,
(g) attributing causation to results,
(h) adapting future methods.

Self regulated learning = Self regulation of Cognition + Motivation

Another influential researcher in the field of Self Regulated Learning, Monique Boekaerts, built a model defining SRL at the junction of two different mechanisms : cognitive self regulation and motivational self regulation [6]. This model described how a learner organized himself to optimize both his actual learning cognitive processes (understanding, memorizing, … ) and his motivation to learn. For instance, a student could think how to organize his learning session so that no stress nor negative emotion could happen. Boekaerts’model, by taking into account the emotional factor that could impede on self regualtory strategies, opened the way to a new understanding of learning as a combination of cognitive processes and emotional aspects (motivation, volition,…) that support it.

Becoming a self regulated learner : 4 developmental levels

If self regulation of learning is not innate, how do we develop it ? Zimmerman proposes 4 levels [7] :
- observational level : when learners can induce the major features of the skill or strategy from watching a model learn or perform.
- emulation level : when a learner’s behavioral performance approximates the general strategic form of the model. The observer’s accuracy can be improved further when a model adopts a teaching role and provides guidance, feedback, and social reinforcement during practice
- self-controlled level : when learners master the use of a skill in structured settings outside the presence of models, such as when a pianist can play scales fluidly in the major and minor keys.
- self-regulated level : when learners can systematically adapt their performance to changing personal and contextual conditions. At this fourth level of skill, the learner can vary the use of task strategies and make adjustments based on outcomes.

Conclusion

In our quest to understand and build support tools for autonomous learners, the theory of self regulation in learning helps us acknowledge at the same time the two different and interweaved aspects of learning — cognition and motivation — and the need for progressive stages of autonomous learning.

REFERENCES
[1] Bandura, A. 1991. “Social Cognitive Theory of Self-Regulation”. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes)
[2] Haggbloom S.J. (2002). The 100 most eminent psychologists of the 20th century, Review of General Psychology, 6 (2). 139–152.
[3]Zimmerman, B. J. (2002). Becoming a Self-Regulated Learner:An overview. Theory into Practice, 41(2), 64–70
[4] Zimmerman, B.J. & Schunk, D. (2008). Motivation. p. 1 in D.H. Schunk & B.J. Zimmerman (Eds.) (2008). Motivation and self-regulated learning. Theory, research and application. New York: Lawrence Earlbaum Associates.
[5] Panadero, E. (2017). A Review of Self-regulated Learning: Six Models and Four Directions for Research. Frontiers in Psychology, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00422
[6] Boekaerts M. (1996b). Self-regulated learning at the junction of cognition and motivation. Eur. Psychol. 2 100–112. 10.1027/1016–9040.1.2.100
[7] Zimmerman, B. J. (2000). Attaining Self-Regulation. In Handbook of Self-Regulation (p. 13‑39). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-012109890-2/50031-7