Self-Regulated Learning: Metacognition, Motivation and Academic Achievement in Middle School Students

Self-regulation is a highly effective way of learning, where students are active participants in their own learning processes. The connection between self-regulated learning and academic success has led researchers to ask the question of whether we can teach students to become self-regulated learners (Schraw, Crippen, & Hartley, 2006). Self-regulation has been identified to have two underlying sub-components, metacognition and motivation. Research has found that most students are not explicitly taught the necessary metacognitive skills that are needed to develop self-regulated learning habits (Ambrose et al., 2010). Therefore, I conducted a self-regulated learning intervention in an eighth grade social studies classroom, which focused on teaching metacognition. The purpose of the intervention was to investigate its utility in enhancing not only students’ metacognitive skills, but also their motivation and grades. I predicted that the intervention would be successful at increasing all three; my results did not support my predictions. Future interventions of greater length and scope may result in more significant results