Date of Award

Summer 2012

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Psychology and Behavioral Sciences

First Advisor

Ashley N. Carroll

Abstract

Previous research has explored the development of the self-regulated learner. The majority of these studies have focused on high school and college students (Hofer & Yu, 2003). This study explored this concept at the elementary school level with lower socioeconomic students. This study was designed to determine the effectiveness of a short intervention teaching self-regulatory and metacognitive learning strategies to these elementary students. The researcher designed a learning intervention for fifth-grade students that included various cognitive strategies and study skills. The intervention group was compared to a control group of fifth-graders. The students' self-efficacy, self-regulation, and achievement orientation were assessed before and after the intervention. It was hypothesized that (1) students in the experimental group as compared to controls would have a greater increase in their self-regulation and self-efficacy, (2) students with high mastery-approach achievement goals would also have high self-regulation and self-efficacy, and (3) students in the experimental group would increase their mastery-approach achievement orientation. Results showed no overall significant differences in self-regulation and self-efficacy between the control group and the intervention group. In both groups, students with higher mastery-approach goals had higher self-regulation and self-efficacy scores. Students in the learning intervention group did not increase their mastery-approach achievement orientation. An unexpected finding was that across groups scores decreased on the posttests for all measures. This may be due to the unusually high initial scores. Further research is needed with other students from lower socioeconomic status groups and in elementary grades.

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