An evaluation of strategies to promote self-regulated learning in pre-service teachers in an online class

The purpose of this study was to investigate the significance of using goal planning forms and weekly monitoring and evaluation forms within an online class to promote the use of self-regulated learning (SRL) strategies in pre-service teachers. The research question explored whether pre-service teachers using goal planning and strategy monitoring and evaluation forms in an online course scored significantly higher on their use of self-regulation strategies and academic performance than students not using the forms.; It was hypothesized that requiring learners to set and manage goals throughout the length of the online course would promote the use of SRL strategies. It was also hypothesized that helping learners focus on the behavioral, motivational, and metacognitive aspects of their learning processes in an online class would result in higher achievement at the end of the course.; Participants were 28 pre-service teachers with a mean age of 27 years. There were 24 women and 4 men. The majority of the participants reported average to above average computer skills, and half had completed an online course prior to the study.; A quasi-experimental non-equivalent comparison group research design was used. The participants were enrolled in one of two identical online sections of a college course entitled Educational Testing and Measurement at a southeastern university. Both sections of the course were taught by the same instructor and utilized the same text. One section was provided with the monitoring and evaluation forms and the other section was not.; Self-report data were collected from the participants using the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MLSQ). At the conclusion of the course, students' quiz scores were also averaged. An analysis of co-variance indicated that students using monitoring and evaluation forms were more likely to use various SRL strategies than students not using the forms. However, an analysis of variance indicated no significant difference between the two sections in academic achievement as measured by average quiz scores.; These results strengthen the evidence that SRL learning can be taught and should provide encouragement to online instructors attempting to initiate SRL instruction in the online classroom. The results of this study do not support previous evidence that SRL can lead to higher academic achievement.