Supporting young learners' self-regulated learning in computer-based learning environments : the effects of adaptive metacognitive prompting

Kurzfassung/Abstract

Background: Self-regulated learning (SRL) has been identified as fundamental for learning in computer-based learning environments (CBLEs) and lifelong learning. One way to effectively support SRL in CBLEs was shown to be metacognitive prompting, a form of support which aims at activating strategies that are not used spontaneously. Young learners in lower secondary schools were found to possess basic forms of metacognitive SRL skills, however, in CBLEs, they were observed to experience difficulties in using them.

Aim and Method: To gain in-depth insights into the effects of metacognitive prompting in young learners, in the research in the present thesis, two empirical studies were conducted to explore young learners’ prompted and unprompted SRL activities and the relation to recall and transfer learning performance.

In the first study, prompted (n = 17) and unprompted (n = 16) 6th grade students were compared in their SRL activities by means of the think-aloud method during a 30-minutes learning session in the CBLE. Furthermore, process mining to analyze the sequential structure of the SRL activities and a recall knowledge test to assess learning performance were used.

In the second study, 6th grade students received metacognitive prompts (n = 38) or no prompts (n = 34) to investigate their metacognitive SRL activities using self-reports and their online learning behavior during a three weeks learning period using trace data. Also, their recall and transfer learning performance was measured.

Results: The results show that learning with metacognitive prompts, in the first study, lead to higher domain-general metacognitive SRL activities, and in the second study, to higher self-reported metacognitive SRL activities. The prompts did not yield significant differences in learning performance. However, in the second study, prior performance level was identified as a significant moderator influencing the interaction between the prompts and transfer learning performance.

Conclusion: In the present research, adaptive metacognitive prompting was shown to be a promising tool to support young learners in their metacognitive SRL activities in an authentic CBLE. Future research is needed to more precisely understand young learners’ needs for adaptive SRL support in CBLEs, focusing particularly on low achieving young learners. The present research highlights the developmental perspective of SRL in metacognitive prompting for young learners and draws conclusions in terms of prompt compliance and prompt design. Future directions within adaptivity in CBLEs and SRL support are discussed.