Gaining Substantial New Insights Into University Students' Self-Regulated Learning Competencies How Can We Succeed?

Abstract

Self-regulated learning (SRL) is a major issue in current educational research. A comprehensive body of evidence points to the relevance of SRL for creating lasting learning success in many learning contexts (Zimmerman & Schunk, 2011). SRL competences are of particular importance for success in higher education because students have to deal with rather unstructured contexts and diverse learning challenges (Peverly, Brobst, Graham, & Shaw, 2003). Despite SRL’s undeniable relevance and the large body of research attesting to this (Winne, 2005), some core issues – especially regarding learning at universities – have not been solved yet. We still do not know which components of SRL in which combination are crucial for success at university. Which aspects of SRL are relevant in which learning phases in which contexts? How do situational and personal factors interact? How do these competences actually develop under different institutional conditions? Why do we still find substantial knowledge deficits in this intensively researched field? A closer look makes it obvious that research often concerns very specific details of the complex SRL construct, such as the interrelations among specific SRL components, teachers’ effects on specific students’ SRL strategies, or the effects of very specific contexts (e.g., Eccles & Wigfield, 2002). Furthermore, a variety of research approaches are used, based on different models, measures, and study designs. Consequently, results are often inconsistent. Approaches and results therefore remain rather unconnected, and no comprehensive picture is able to emerge. However, if we want to create instructional designs that promote SRL at universities, we need a deeper comprehensive understanding of SRL competences and their development. To reach more coherence and advance in research on SRL competencies in complex learning settings like universities, we suggest an integrative approach in terms of theory and measurement in this opinion paper.