Exploring young learners’ prompted and unprompted SRL think-alouds

Kurzfassung/Abstract

Background
Think-aloud data have been identified as a valuable source for fine-grained analyzes aimed at understanding learning processes. Yet, they are rarely used to investigate how self-regulated learning (SRL) can be supported in computer-based learning environments (CBLEs). Young learners at lower secondary level have been found to be in a transitional phase of developing metacognitive SRL skills. In this phase, metacognitive prompting may encourage metacognitive SRL in CBLEs. To gain insights into supporting young learners' SRL in CBLEs, the present study used the think-aloud method and process mining to explore prompted and unprompted learners’ utterances related to recall learning performance, metacognitive SRL activities, and the sequential structure of these activities.

Methods
In a between-subjects experimental design, secondary students completed a 30-min CBLE learning session while thinking aloud, with either metacognitive prompts (n = 17) or no prompts (n = 16).

Results
The fine-grained analysis of the think-aloud data showed that learning with metacognitive prompts led to higher domain-general metacognitive SRL activities. Regarding learning performance, no significant differences were found. Process models indicated that prompted learners’ process structures resembled traditional SRL models more closely and that they engaged in reflection activities more often at the end of a learning sequence than the control group.

Conclusion
This study revealed fine-grained differences between prompted and unprompted metacognitive SRL activities in young learners. Think-aloud data, combined with process mining, proved to be useful for identifying metacognitive processes. This study, thereby, extends the current debate on the development of metacognitive SRL skills in young learners.