The twofold aim of this study was to substantiate the validity of the Self-Regulation Questionnai... more The twofold aim of this study was to substantiate the validity of the Self-Regulation Questionnaire-Reading Motivation and Self-Regulation Questionnaire-Writing Motivation for third to eight graders and to map motivational trends in elementary and secondary education students' academic and recreational reading and writing. More specifically, we adopted the innovative and coherent theoretical framework of the Self-Determination Theory to study qualitatively different motives for reading and writing and to examine the relationships between them. In total, 2,343 students from third to eighth grade were involved. Based on confirmatory factor analyses, a two-factor model, distinguishing between autonomous and controlled motivation, for academic and recreational reading and writing was confirmed in all grades. Furthermore, the scales were reliable, and the measurement models were invariant across students' gender and their general achievement level. Despite the absence of strong invariance for the measurement models across each of the different grades, we found evidence that students within the same grade level (i.e., middle elementary, upper elementary, and lower secondary grade) interpreted the SRQ-Reading and Writing scale items in a conceptually similar way. Factor correlations confirmed the interrelatedness of reading and writing motives, as well as strong associations between students' motivation to read and write in either academic and recreational contexts. Finally, concerning the motivational trends, the present results advert to a significant decline of students' autonomous motivation to read and write, both in and outside school. Accordingly, we point out that the late elementary and the lower secondary grades are crucial phases to engage students in motivating literacy activities. In light of these alarming results, we recommend future experimental research studies to focus on evaluating the effectiveness of instructional reading and writing activities that foster students' innate need for autonomy, competence, and relatedness.
School Effectiveness and School Improvement, Jul 29, 2020
Do you reap what you sow? The relationship between primary school students' selfregulated learnin... more Do you reap what you sow? The relationship between primary school students' selfregulated learning and student, teacher, and school determinants, School Effectiveness and School Improvement,
Teaching students how to regulate their own learning has become a popular innovative practice in ... more Teaching students how to regulate their own learning has become a popular innovative practice in primary education. However, not much is known about how teacher as well as school characteristics enhance students' self-regulated learning (SRL). This study explores whether schools differ in the way they implement SRL and what factors at the school and teacher level are related to successful classroom implementation of SRL. Survey data was gathered from 331 teachers in 44 primary schools. A comprehensive theoretical model, identifying determinants on teacher and school level related to teachers' SRL implementation, was tested using structural equation modelling. Results indicate that teachers' beliefs and teacher self-efficacy are strongly related to SRL implementation. At the school level, the importance of a shared SRL vision and the engagement of teachers in reflective dialogue are highlighted with implications for the role of the school leader. Recommendations for future research and considerations for teachers' educational practice are discussed.
High-quality writing instruction is vital to supporting developing writers as they learn to plan,... more High-quality writing instruction is vital to supporting developing writers as they learn to plan, compose, and revise text. It is equally important that such instruction enhances students' self-efficacy for writing as well as their motivation to write. The main aim of the present study was to investigate the incremental effect of peerassisted writing in an explicit writing instruction program on Flemish upper-elementary students' writing performance, self-efficacy for writing, and writing motivation. A randomized control design, using multilevel analyses, was conducted to determine the differential effectiveness of two experimental writing treatments (EI +PA and EI+IND) compared to a business as usual control condition (BAU). Both experimental writing treatments involved explicit instruction in writing, with students in one condition writing with a peer (EI+PA) and students in the other condition writing individually (EI+IND). Participating classes (N = 431 students, N = 20 teachers) were randomly assigned to the three conditions and students were assessed before and after instruction. EI+PA students outperformed both EI+IND and BAU students on the writing measure in the instructed genre but not in the uninstructed genre. Additionally, although EI+PA students were more confident as to their capability (self-efficacy) to generate ideas when compared to their EI+IND counterparts, EI+PA students' writing motivation, characterized by internal or external motives, was significantly lower than EI+IND students. The findings of the present study corroborate and extend the limited number of prior studies illustrating the surplus value of peer-assisted writing in explicit writing instruction programs.
The present study aims at investigating whether events of socially shared metacognitive regulatio... more The present study aims at investigating whether events of socially shared metacognitive regulation (SSMR) differ from each other when comparing their characteristics. These differences are labelled "variations in SSMR". The study is conducted in a peer tutoring setting at university and includes video data (70 h of video recordings) on the regulation behaviour of thirty students who participated in a semester-long peer tutoring intervention that was directed at knowledge co-construction. In addition to studying variations in SSMR, the current study aims at examining whether individual students' engagement in variations in SSMR is related to their performance on a knowledge test taken immediately after the peer tutoring intervention. Latent class cluster models were run to explore the presence of variations in SSMR. The trigger for SSMR, the number of students actively involved in SSMR, the level of elaboration during SSMR, and the function of SSMR in the collaborative learning process were included in the model as input parameters. A fourcluster model was selected as the best fitting model that demonstrated statistical significance. The four identified variations of SSMR were labelled as 'interrogative SSMR', 'affirmative SSMR', 'interfering SSMR', and 'progressive SSMR'. Regression analyses revealed that not all variations in SSMR are equally important for predicting students' performance. Students' engagement in interrogative SSMR was significantly positively related to students' performance on the knowledge test, whereas their engagement in interfering SSMR was negatively related. In contrast, the frequency of students' involvement in affirmative SSMR or progressive SSMR demonstrated no significant relation with students' performance. By unravelling the multifaceted character of SSMR, the present study allows to extend and to refine the emerging theory on shared regulation.
per twee aan de slag met schrijfstrategieën! Veel leerlingen worstelen aan het eind van het prima... more per twee aan de slag met schrijfstrategieën! Veel leerlingen worstelen aan het eind van het primair onderwijs met het schrijven van teksten. In dit artikel beschrijft Fien De Smedt haar promotieonderzoek waarin ze aantoont dat een combinatie van expliciete strategie-instructie en samenwerkend schrijven een veelbelovende schrijfpraktijk is. Fien De Smedt werkt als postdoctoraal onderzoeker aan de vakgroep Onderwijskunde van de Universiteit Gent. Ze is verbonden aan de onderzoeksgroep Taal, Leren, Innoveren die geleid wordt door Hilde Van Keer.
Examining the relation between students’ active engagement in shared metacognitive regulation and individual learner characteristics
International Journal of Educational Research, 2021
Abstract The study investigates whether individual learner characteristics relate to differences ... more Abstract The study investigates whether individual learner characteristics relate to differences in university students’ engagement in socially shared metacognitive regulation (SSMR) when tutoring peers. Students’ motivation for learning, self-efficacy for learning and regulation, feeling of relatedness to peers, and individual repertoire of metacognitive regulation skills are included. SSMR was analysed through systematic observation of video recorded tutoring sessions (22.5 hours). The study involved 73 students, who further completed questionnaires and a think-aloud task. Multilevel models were run to investigate the relation between individual learner characteristics and students’ involvement in SSMR. The results revealed that only students’ adoption of metacognitive regulation during individual learning and their self-efficacy for regulation are significant correlates of their engagement in SSMR.
The present study investigates primary school students' self-regulated learning (SRL) process by ... more The present study investigates primary school students' self-regulated learning (SRL) process by exploring the sequence in which SRL activities are conducted during learning. The aims of this study are twofold: investigating the presence of the theoretically hypothesized cyclical nature in students' SRL process, as well as potential differences herein for high, average, and low achievers. Think-aloud data of 104 upper primary school students were analysed by means of process mining analysis. The results indicate that students commonly adopt a cyclical approach to learning by implementing preparatory, performance, and appraisal activities during learning. However, the results indicate clear differences in the quality of students' SRL process. High achievers, compared to low and average achievers, show a more strategic and adaptive approach to learning during all phases of their learning process. They more strategically and effectively orient on and plan assignments, combine different cognitive strategies, and adopt self-evaluation to regulate their learning process.
The present study focuses on the use of two different types of scripts as possible ways to struct... more The present study focuses on the use of two different types of scripts as possible ways to structure university students' discourse in asynchronous discussion groups and consequently promote their learning. More specifically, the aim of the study is to determine how requiring students to label their contributions by means of De Bono's Thinking Hats (script 1) and Weinberger's script for the construction of argumentation sequences (script 2) affects the ongoing critical thinking processes reflected in the discussion. The results suggest that both scripts successfully facilitated critical thinking. The results showed that the labeling condition (script 1) surpasses the argumentation script (script 2) with regard to the overall depth of critical thinking in the discussion, and the critical thinking processes during the stages of problem identification and problem integration in particular. Further, it can be argued that students in the labeling condition are engaged in more focused, more critical, and more practically-oriented discussions.
In Flanders, there are neither Flemish assessments nor teacher surveys to provide insights into t... more In Flanders, there are neither Flemish assessments nor teacher surveys to provide insights into the current practice and outcomes of writing instruction. In the present study, we provide a-state-of-the-art study of the practice of writing instruction in Flemish late elementary education by investigating: (a) how writing is taught, (b) how teachers think about writing and writing instruction, and (c) how student characteristics, teacher characteristics, and classroom writing practices correlate with students' writing performance. In total, 128 teachers and 800 fifthand sixth-grade students completed teacher and student questionnaires. Students also completed two writing tests (i.e., writing an informational and a narrative text). The descriptive results on the teacher questionnaire showed that upper elementary school teachers spent only about 65 min each week on various writing assignments in class (e.g., stories and worksheets). During these lessons, teachers primarily focused on explicit instruction of writing skills. In addition, teachers were generally positive towards writing and writing instruction and they felt self-efficacious in teaching writing. As to the relationships with students' writing performance, multilevel analyses indicated that students with a high self-efficacy for ideation and autonomous motivation wrote qualitatively better narrative and informational texts, while students with controlled motivation were significantly less successful in writing narrative texts. Also, teacher efficacy for writing was positively correlated with students' informational text quality. In conclusion, this study represents an important starting point in unraveling the black box of writing instruction in
As writing is a complex and resource demanding task, high-quality writing instruction is indispen... more As writing is a complex and resource demanding task, high-quality writing instruction is indispensable from primary grades on to support beginning writers in developing effective writing skills. Writing research should therefore provide teachers and schools with evidence-based guidelines for teaching writing in daily practice. In this respect, the present study first investigates the distinct and combined effectiveness of two instructional writing practices (i.e., explicit writing instruction and writing with peer assistance). Second, the present study aims to examine differential effects for students with different background characteristics (i.e., gender and general achievement level). Eleven teachers and their 206 fifth and sixth-grade students participated in the study and were randomly assigned to either one of the four experimental conditions (i.e., EI+IND: explicit instruction + individual writing, EI+PA: explicit instruction + writing with peer assistance, IND: matched individual practice comparison condition, and PA: matched peer-assisted practice comparison condition) or the business as usual condition. Multilevel analyses showed that EI+IND, EI+PA, and PA students outperformed the business as usual students. As to the distinct impact of explicit writing instruction, EI+IND students outperformed IND students at posttest, revealing the effectiveness of explicit writing instruction. As to the effect of peer-assisted writing, there were no significant differences between the individual writing conditions (EI+IND and IND) and the peer-assisted conditions (EI+PA and PA respectively).
Tutors aan de slag met kansarme en/of allochtone leerlingen: mogelijkheden, succesfactoren en randvoorwaarden van student tutoring in het (secundair) onderwijs
LEER-KRACHT Lezen en schrijven kan je Leren Onderzoek leert ons dat het begrijpend lezen bij kind... more LEER-KRACHT Lezen en schrijven kan je Leren Onderzoek leert ons dat het begrijpend lezen bij kinderen in het basisonderwijs achteruit gaat. Om die trend te keren, deed de Vlaamse Onderwijsraad (Vlor) een oproep aan onderzoekers. Zij reiken jou vijf didactische sleutels aan waar elk kind in je klas mee gebaat is. Ook schrijven is voor veel leerlingen geen eenvoudige klus. Jij kan hen helpen om vaardige schrijvers te worden. In dit katern vind je twee krachtige schrijfdidactieken die jou zeker inspireren.
Do measures matter? Differences between think-aloud protocols and task-specific self-report questionnaires in investigating self-regulated learning of primary school children
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