The promotion of self-regulated learning in an undergraduate French language classroom

Abstract

Self-regulation is today increasingly acknowledged as one of the leading traits of the 21st century. Students who personify self-regulated learning (SRL) are identified to be amongst those who excel both in and beyond didactic settings. Significantly owing to this, there is a prevalent trend in educational contexts that demonstrates a shift from teacher-centered philosophies to more student-centered approaches. However, given the apparent incongruence in academic performances, it is recognized that not all learners depict the same learning techniques. The necessity hence arises to specifically promote SRL to provide for more equal opportunities to all students to perform to the best of their abilities. This dissertation entails the proceedings of a SRL intervention by means of a mixed methods research in a tertiary milieu. Participants were derived from two non-degree undergraduate French classes, both of which were each respectively designated as the control and experiment group. Through the SRL implementations of weekly learning journals and end of semester portfolios, pre and post-tests measures (inclusive of linguistic tasks) were conducted to test strategy adoption and reading and writing skills. Findings disclosed that the control group attained a higher overall achievement rate suggesting a correlation between SRL and academic achievement. It was also discerned that high and average achievers exemplify differing degrees of SRL. Implications would be to introduce and assimilate SRL activities in classrooms yet prior to its materialization, teacher training programs would also need to be updated to encompass in-service and future educators with the relative skills needed to teach SRL. Lastly, possible revisions in assessment methods can also be considered.