Teachers’ Perceptions of Self-Regulated Learning in a Technology-Supported Collaborative Learning Environment

In a local school district, sixth- through eighth-grade students were reading and performing on reading tests below grade level, and teachers started using strategies to promote self-regulated learning (SRL) in their classrooms. However, students continued to struggle with reading comprehension when asked to read independently. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the instructional strategies teachers used to implement SRL for reading and to explore the perspectives of middle-school teachers regarding how an SRL environment could affect students’ learning outcomes. Winne’s conditions, operations, products, evaluations, and standards (COPES) theory provided the conceptual framework for the study. Data were collected from face-to-face interviews, classroom observations, and instructional artifacts from 12 teachers in the South region of the United States. Findings from the thematic analysis indicated that although the teachers assumed the use of strategies to promote SRL would positively influence reading achievement, there was a need for professional development in managing time and applying the strategies within the context of the English language arts Common Core curriculum framework. A 3-day professional development workshop with an evaluation component was designed as a project to help teachers apply SRL strategies within their curriculum frameworks in their classroom. This training may help promote change in the local district and similar districts to improve reading outcomes for students