AltSRL - Assessing Alternative Measures of Self-Regulated Learning

Self-regulated learning (SRL) is a multifaceted process involving the regulation of cognition, motivation, and emotions to achieve learning goals. It encompasses planning, monitoring, and adapting strategies based on ongoing progress. Effective SRL requires learners to integrate cognitive skills, such as organising and processing information, with metacognitive strategies, including planning and evaluating their learning. Additionally, motivation and emotional regulation play a critical role in sustaining engagement, managing challenges, and maintaining focus on learning objectives. SRL is highly individualised and context-dependent, with learners continuously adapting their strategies to meet specific task demands. Foundational models conceptualise SRL as a feedback-driven, cyclical process where learners iteratively refine their approaches to optimise outcomes. Assessing SRL remains a significant challenge due to the complexity and dynamic nature of the construct. Traditional measurement methods, such as self-report questionnaires, have provided valuable insights but suffer from limitations, including biases and its inability to capture real-time processes. To address these shortcomings, alternative methodologies, such as think-aloud protocols and trace data analysis, have been developed to assess SRL as it occurs during task execution. These approaches provide a process-oriented perspective by tracking learners’ strategies and adjustments in real time. The field lacks a comprehensive review of these and other existing SRL alternative measurement tools. Current existing reviews tend to focus narrowly on specific categories, such as self-reports or digital measures, without adequately and systematically comparing its effectiveness or validity. The central question remains: which tools most accurately and comprehensively assess SRL across its various dimensions? Addressing this question is essential for advancing the field. Accurate and reliable measurement tools are critical for understanding the determinants and conditions that influence SRL, delivering meaningful feedback to learners, designing interventions to enhance SRL skills, and evaluating the effectiveness of such interventions. A systematic comparison of measurement tools will provide researchers and educators with the necessary foundation to foster more effective self-regulated learning practices.

This project aims to create a comprehensive overview of alternative instruments of SRL and to compare which tools most accurately assess learners' SRL based on its measurement properties.

Alexander von Humboldt Foundation