1.+Research+Questions


 * TITLE: Developing self-regulated learners: exploring the role of secondary schools.**

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“//How can// //contemporary Australian secondary schools foster the development of self-regulated learners in the context of the 21st century learning environment?” //

1.1 Subsidiary exploratory questions:
- What is happening in schools that supports the development of contemporary students as self-regulated learners of the curriculum?

- What is the impact of technology on self-regulated learning in this context?

- What are stakeholders’ attitudes, beliefs, experiences and perceptions of the development of self-regulated learning in contemporary secondary education?

1.2 Statement of personal position
Schools today are amazing places. Australian school systems have worked hard to move away from the rote learning, didactic, teacher-centered teaching style of our parents and grandparents generations, to a school system that is more student-centered, values creativity and originality, and allows exploration, discovery and co-operative learning. We want our students to exit the school system having experienced a range of learning opportunities and experiences and having developed a suite of varying skills. Many of these experiences and skills will not necessarily be measured or tested by current assessment systems – nor is it necessary that they all be tested.But our current assessment system has implications for the types of skills students need to achieve their academic potential in the school system.

Academic achievement does not necessarily equate to success (however one may define this) in later life. However, the assumption behind this research is that helping students to achieve their own personal academic potential is worthwhile. Despite the changes in our schools, our students are still required to undergo assessments that have not changed significantly from those experienced by generations before us.Equipping students with skills that help them navigate the mire of school academic expectations and assessments in a way that makes their school experience more efficient, less stressful and ultimately more rewarding, is also assumed to be a worthwhile pursuit.

Fostering the development of students as self-regulated learners of the curriculum is but one ingredient in the recipe of students achieving their personal academic potential.Other contributing factors are, for example, teachers and teaching style and a supportive learning environment.This means that just because student is a self-regulated learner, they may not necessarily reach their academic potential – other factors come into play as well. And just because a student is not a self-regulated learner, does not mean that they will not reach their potential either.Instead, the position taken is that fostering self-regulated learning skills gives students a greater chance of reaching their academic potential in a more efficient and effective way than those without these skills.

This is not to lessen the value that should be placed upon the development of areas such as creative and critical thinking skills.Instead this research recognizes that although the school system is not all about assessment, assessment is part of the reality of life in schools and that by recognizing this as an area where some students may need assistance, we can work towards helping all students have a more positive experience in their school years.

An important distinction is that the research is focusing on self-regulated learners ‘of the curriculum’.Students may be very self-regulated when it comes to other areas such as learning a favourite musical instrument or learning to surf. This research is looking at the development of self-regulated learners in the context of the school curriculum.

Of course it is not solely what is happening in schools that develops students as self-regulated learners of the curriculum. Students may develop these skills in primary school, through experiences or modeling with friends or relatives, external courses, personal trial and error. Some students may have personalities and personal traits that make it easier or more natural for them to develop these skills than others. This research is exploring what sorts of things schools CAN do, what is in the realm of possibilities for schools to foster this development, particularly for those who through a combination of circumstances, means that the school is their most likely source of developing these skills.

Through exploring the views of the stakeholders, we can uncover what is happening in schools in this area and perceptions of the effectiveness of these efforts – whether it be explicit and formal ‘learning to learn’ courses, informal learning environments or perhaps the totally unexpected, for example a ‘sink or swim’ mentality that violently precipitates development of these skills.It will also be interesting to examine this topic by looking at the ‘whole school’ approach – what is happening in schools as a whole that develops students as self-regulated learners.

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1.3 A note on terminology
Throughout the literature, the issue of terminology and the challenges of reading in this area are raised constantly. There is little consistency in the terminology used. Generic terms such as ‘style’, ‘strategy’, ‘study’, ‘learning’ are given different meanings by different theorists as are what one would consider the more specific terminology used to characterize aspects of learning (Entwistle & McCune, 2004). In the following section, I have not attempted to define all terminology, but to use terms as they belonged in the context of my background to this topic so subsequently they can be read and interpreted as they would be in the wider community. In the literature review I have examined these terms more thoroughly and their impact on my research question. The only definition I would like to address at this point in time is that of ‘self-regulated learning’ which will be the terminology used during the research process. Zimmerman’s widely accepted definition is a good starting point for exploration in this area: “Self regulation refers to the degree that individuals are metacognitively, motivationally and behaviourally active participants in their own learning process” (Zimmerman 1986, p.308).

The significance of this proposed research is characterized by the unique lenses through which the field of self-regulation is examined, moving towards ideas for a framework to guide the development of self-regulated learning approaches in schools in the context of 21st century learning environment.

2.1 Background and context
As a secondary school teacher for ten years, my anecdotal observation was that many Australian secondary students had poor time management and organisational skills and did not know how, or lacked the motivation, to study or prepare effectively for school assessments. This observation, that some students have skills and attitudes in place that contribute towards their achievement of academic success at school, while others seem to lack the necessary expertise or inclination to do so, has been validated in numerous studies in both school and higher education contexts and by the continued focus on development of inventories to measure and categorise students’ differing learning approaches (Biggs, 1987; Entwistle & Ramsden, 1983; Weinstein, 1988; Janssen, 1996; Wingate, 2007).

A study by Kember, Jamison, Pomfret and Wong (1995) investigating the relationship between learning approaches, time spent studying and grades, found that students with inefficient approaches to study worked long hours yetachieved poor grades. This could be in part due to less able students not only not having effective strategies available to them, but also not employing existing strategies appropriately (Nolen, 1988). The importance of study skills in academic performance is emphasized in a study by Tait and Entwistle (1996) which explored the idea of a computer program to identify students whose study skills and strategies were ineffective so that appropriate support could then be provided. Renzulli and Reis (1985) stressed the importance of teaching even gifted and talented students “learning-how-to-learn” skills that promote active learning of new information. However the research supports the idea that skills development is most effective when integrated into the curriculum rather than as a ‘bolt-on’ extra-curricular activity separated from subject content and the process of learning (Wingate, 2006).

Weinstein (1988) argues that a dual role is essential for all teachers; teaching not only subject content, but how students should study in order to maximize their chances of reaching their academic potential in that subject. Weinstein, Ridley, Dahl and Weiner (1988) point out that many students do not develop effective learning strategies unless they receive implicit instruction in their use. Research over the last four decades points to the continued importance of teachers’ assistance in developing students’ strategies for learning (Weinstein & Mayer, 1986; Romeo, 2004).

A number of students do seem to have many learning skills in place when they arrive in secondary school. They may have developed these skills during the primary school years from family members, particular teachers, external courses or some other unknown source; the source of development is unclear as there is little research examining the varying sources of this strategy development in secondary students. A study by Wood, Motz and Willoughby (1998) found that in the group of high school students studied 42% cited their study strategies as being self-taught, 28% recalled learning from parents and siblings while 20% cite teachers and educational institutions as their strategy influence.

However it is the students who have not, and do not, develop effective learning strategies that are of concern.Without the school playing an active role, many of these students will struggle with the demands of the school system and in particular assessment systems.

Australia also does not have a ‘study skills curriculum’ or a clear policy on how schools should approach the development of self-regulation skills.The Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relation’s website covering on school education states “Australia’s future depends on a high quality and dynamic school education system to provide students with foundation skills, values, knowledge and understanding necessary for lifelong learning, employment and full participation in society” (Commonweath of Australia, 2010). However, foundation skills are not defined, and while there are policies for Numeracy and Literacy for example, ‘learning-to-learn’ or self-regulation skills are not addressed.

The NSW Department of Education’s Quality Teaching Model includes students’ self-regulation as one of the 18 elements for good classroom and assessment practice (NSW Department of Education, 2003). However there is little guidance in the documentation as to how to foster this self-regulation or explanation of what schools might currently be doing in this area.

As there is not a consistent approach or even epistemology in Australian secondary schools towards the development of these skills, approaches taken by schools vary widely with a notable lack of a whole school approach. This means that there is no guarantee that the needs of students who enter secondary schools without the necessary ‘learning-to-learn’ skills will be met (Zimmerman, 2000). Weinstein (1996) raised the point that self-regulation is becoming increasingly important as we move towards technologically driven self-directed learning environments where greater amounts of autonomous learning may be necessary.