The Influence of Culture on the Development and Organisation of Self-Regulated Learning Skills

Self-regulated learning (SRL) skills have recently attracted a lot of research interest because they have been identified as arguably the most important determinants of academic performance and achievement. Learners with good SRL skills perform better because they have a clearer awareness of the effective strategies needed for a task and when to apply and adapt them - above all, they learn more effectively. Furthermore, they are intrinsically motivated so they set higher goals, put in more effort and show greater perseverance at learning tasks. It is of crucial significance to understand how these skills are developed and why some children acquire them better than others. It has been observed that some cultural groups consistently exhibit higher achievement than others and variation in SRL skills by culture has also been observed. This research was therefore aimed at examining whether cultural differences impact on the organisation of SRL skills in a consistent and predictable fashion. A better understanding of the processes pertaining to this construct could provide some insight about how to promote SRL skills development in all children. Quantitative data was collected from three studies, two in the UK and one in Beijing, designed to test hypotheses derived from models of how culture (White British vs Chinese backgrounds; Confucian vs non-Confucian backgrounds, as defined by a novel measure of filial piety) could influence SRL variables. These models introduced a conceptual advancement by utilising constructs from the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) to capture the motivational elements of SRL. The data largely supported the overarching hypothesis that culture impacts on the nature and operation of the motivational elements of SRL, not the cognitive ones, with a consistent pattern of these being driven by external expectations among Confucian children, and by experientially derived attitudes among non-Confucian. The findings from the current research provide a huge impetus to cross-cultural research in SRL development by providing a model (SRL+TPB) that operationalises the interaction of cultural elements with SRL; and also point to ways in which classroom interventions to support SRL might take advantage of both patterns of effects to achieve optimal outcomes