Measuring self-regulated learning in the workplace

In knowledge intensive industries, the workplace has become a key locus of learning. To perform effectively, knowledge workers must be able to take responsibility for their own developmental needs, and in particular, to self-regulate their learning. This paper describes the construction and validation of an instrument (the Self-Regulated Learning at Work Questionnaire: SRLWQ) designed to provide a measure of self-regulated learning behaviour in the workplace. The instrument has been validated through a pilot study with a cohort of knowledge workers from the finance industry (n=170). Results indicate that the five scales of the instrument are reliable and valid, testing a broad range of sub-processes of self-regulated learning. The instrument can be used to identify knowledge workers who demonstrate different levels of self-regulated learning in workplace contexts for further exploration through qualitative studies and could also provide the basis of professional development tools designed to explore opportunities for self-regulation of learning in the workplace