scholarly journals Introductory Biology Students’ Use of Enhanced Answer Keys and Reflection Questions to Engage in Metacognition and Enhance Understanding

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. ar40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaime L. Sabel ◽  
Joseph T. Dauer ◽  
Cory T. Forbes

Providing feedback to students as they learn to integrate individual concepts into complex systems is an important way to help them to develop robust understanding, but it is challenging in large, undergraduate classes for instructors to provide feedback that is frequent and directed enough to help individual students. Various scaffolds can be used to help students engage in self-regulated learning and generate internal feedback to improve their learning. This study examined the use of enhanced answer keys with added reflection questions and instruction as scaffolds for engaging undergraduate students in self-regulated learning within an introductory biology course. Study findings show that both the enhanced answer keys and reflection questions helped students to engage in metacognition and develop greater understanding of biological concepts. Further, students who received additional instruction on the use of the scaffolds changed how they used them and, by the end of the semester, were using the scaffolds in significantly different ways and showed significantly higher learning gains than students who did not receive the instruction. These findings provide evidence for the benefit of designing scaffolds within biology courses that will support students in engaging in metacognition and enhancing their understanding of biological concepts.

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. ar30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda J. Sebesta ◽  
Elena Bray Speth

In college introductory science courses, students are challenged with mastering large amounts of disciplinary content while developing as autonomous and effective learners. Self-regulated learning (SRL) is the process of setting learning goals, monitoring progress toward them, and applying appropriate study strategies. SRL characterizes successful, “expert” learners, and develops with time and practice. In a large, undergraduate introductory biology course, we investigated: 1) what SRL strategies students reported using the most when studying for exams, 2) which strategies were associated with higher achievement and with grade improvement on exams, and 3) what study approaches students proposed to use for future exams. Higher-achieving students, and students whose exam grades improved in the first half of the semester, reported using specific cognitive and metacognitive strategies significantly more frequently than their lower-achieving peers. Lower-achieving students more frequently reported that they did not implement their planned strategies or, if they did, still did not improve their outcomes. These results suggest that many students entering introductory biology have limited knowledge of SRL strategies and/or limited ability to implement them, which can impact their achievement. Course-specific interventions that promote SRL development should be considered as integral pedagogical tools, aimed at fostering development of students’ lifelong learning skills.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 149-156
Author(s):  
Oyovwi Edarho Oghenevwede

Abstract This study focused on enhancing biology students' achievement and attitude through Self-Regulated Learning Strategy in secondary schools in Delta Central Senatorial District. The study adopted the quasi-experimental pre-test, post-test control group design. Four research questions and four research hypotheses were formulated and raised to guide the study. The population of the study was all the biology students in senior secondary school II (SS II) in all the government-owned public secondary schools in Delta Central Senatorial District with an estimation of six thousand, four hundred and twenty-one students (6,421). A sample of two hundred and forty-five (245) senior secondary schools II students randomly selected from four (4) public mixed secondary schools was used for the study. The Simple Random Sampling Technique was adopted to draw the sample. The instruments used for data collection were the Biology Achievement Test (BAT) and Biology Attitude Questionnaire (BAQ). BAT and BAQ were validated by I Measurement and Evaluation and Biology teachers that have taught biology for more than ten (10) years. The reliability of BAT and BAQ were established using Kuder-Richardson formula 21 and Cronbach Alpha which yielded a coefficient of internal consistencies of 0.75 for BAT and 0.80 for BAQ respectively. Data were collected by administering the biology achievement test (BAT) and biology attitude questionnaire (BAQ) as pre-test and post-test. The data obtained were analysed using mean, standard deviation Analysis of Variation (ANOVA) and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). The result shows that self-regulated regulated learning strategy significantly enhanced students' achievement in biology compared to the lecture method; there was no significant difference between the mean achievement score of male and female students taught biology using self-regulated learning strategy; there was a significant difference between the mean attitude score of students taught using self-regulated learning strategy compared with those taught with lecture method in favour of students taught using the self-regulated learning strategy and there was no significant difference between the mean attitude score of male and female students taught biology using self-regulated learning strategy. Based on the findings it was concluded that self-regulated learning strategy significantly enhances students' achievements and attitudes in biology. It was therefore recommended that biology teachers should adopt the strategy in teaching biology at the secondary school level and that biology teachers should be trained on how to use the skills of self-regulated learning strategy effectively.


2022 ◽  
pp. 120-142
Author(s):  
Anna C. Brady ◽  
Yeo-eun Kim ◽  
Jacqueline von Spiegel

Digital distractions are an important and prevalent aspect of college students' lives. Using a self-regulated learning perspective, this chapter provides an in-depth understanding of students' digital distractions in academic settings and highlights how college instructors can empower their students to manage digital distractions and self-regulate their own learning. In particular, the chapter discusses both the causes and consequences of engaging in digital distractions with a focus on the impact of multitasking. In addition, the chapter argues that students' engagement in digital distractions is closely connected to their motivation and emotions. This chapter highlights how college students can regulate their digital distractions throughout the learning process during each phase of self-regulated learning. Finally, the chapter reviews the ways college instructors can support students' management of distractions through their instructional approaches.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa Kaiser ◽  
Caroline Tozzi Reppold ◽  
Claudio Simon Hutz ◽  
Leandro S. Almeida

Author(s):  
Wongpanya Sararat Nuankaew ◽  
Pratya Nuankaew ◽  
Direk Teeraputon ◽  
Kanakarn Phanniphong ◽  
Sittichai Bussaman

The Self-Regulated Learning (SRL) strategies can be the best. It can be achieved by a sub-goal that will be more important in the younger generation. This paper proposes the process of developing factors (attributes) which are related to the development of learning styles through self-regulated strategies. The objectives of this paper are (1) to study the perception and attitude toward the attributes of students with self-regulated learning of the students in higher education, and (2) to find the level of acceptance towards the factor of SRL using applied statistics and machine learning technology. The results show that two tools have proved the respondents and the factors of SRL in the accepted level. Besides, the results found that Thai higher education students still focus on formal learning, which conflicts with the behavior and us-age of Internet and telephone in the classroom. In future work, the author is committed to develop and apply a self-regulated learning strategy model with a combination of collaborative learning strategies of blended learning. Also, it supports undergraduate students in analyzing the factors and studying the behavior patterns of learners in suitable modern learning.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 98
Author(s):  
Effat Alvi ◽  
Robyn Gillies

Teachers are effective agents who can introduce and support students’ self-regulated learning (SRL) in classrooms. This qualitative study presents an integrative, ecological model of SRL-in-context from the teachers’ perspectives. Data were obtained from in-depth interviews, participant observations and informal conversations gathered from the classrooms of six teachers working in three different state primary schools located in Queensland, Australia. The model builds on teachers’ beliefs and understandings about SRL, the different ways through which they adopt SRL-supportive practices and the enactment of SRL in classrooms. It represents a complex structure of nested and mutually dependent systems with teachers having a central position, thereby forming the microsystem. However, teachers’ efforts to support students’ SRL are influenced by the exosystem (e.g., school, curriculum) and macrosystem (e.g., home, community) in a reciprocal fashion. The SRL-in-context model has implications for both theory and practice.


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