Science and Mathematics High School Students’ Perceptions of Self-Regulated Learning

Abstract We investigated the advancement of self-regulated learning (SRL) in diverse educational settings, including science, mathematics, and humanities disciplines. We identified practices for assessing students' SRL and encouraging reflection. The research questions were: (1) Can sustained changes in students' perceptions of SRL over time be assessed, and if so how? and (2) What assessment strategies effectively influence students' perceptions of their SRL? Research tools included a specially-designed questionnaire and a graphic-facilitated focus group. We first compared the SRL of 184 high school students in science, mathematics, and humanities, followed by a closer look at the SRL development of 72 students in science and mathematics. Six students then engaged in a graphical facilitation assessment to identify shifts in their SRL perceptions and reflections. The findings showed that students' SRL skills consisted of multiple factors, with help-seeking being the highest and reflection skills the lowest. No significant differences were found between science, mathematics, and humanities students' SRL skills. Mathematics students exhibited significant SRL improvements after an intervention, while science students showed no change. However, the focus group of science students elicited shifts in SRL perceptions and reflection through the use of graphical facilitation. Despite limitations in generalizability, this research highlights the value of diverse assessment tools in promoting SRL. It underscores the importance of employing diverse tools during the promotion of self-regulation processes to foster meaningful advancements in students' SRL skills. Our study contributes by linking the cyclical SRL model with the timing of reflection and adopting a multimodal approach to SRL assessment.