Exploring Self-regulation and Self-efficacy Through Action Research With Seventh-grade Social Studies Students
Abstract
The purpose of the proposed action research study is to improve seventh-grade students’ self-efficacy and mental self-regulation in order to 1) improve students’ academic performance in the classroom and ameliorate an existing achievement gap; 2) provide field-tested instructional strategies and curriculum for the seventh-grade teacher team; 3) provide qualitative data to the school’s administrative team to use for course scheduling and decision making. The teacher-researcher will examine the impact self-regulation and metacognitive formative assessments have upon self-efficacy through qualitative methods. Two research questions will guide the study: 1) What are the impacts of a three-part self-regulation model and a weekly metacognitive self-assessment on seventh-grade students’ perceived self-efficacy and achievement; 2) How does the use of social action curriculum affect seventh-grade students’ motivational self-efficacy in a social-studies class? Working with a diverse population of seventh-grade students at a 6-12 charter school in South Carolina, the research will address the role of self-efficacy in student self-regulation and whether teaching metacognitive strategies through a culturally responsive curriculum has positive impact upon student academic identity, their perceptions of learning, and their academic progress.
Presentation Description
Classroom assessment and instructional practices must continue to evolve to create efficacious learners who are critical thinkers. Culturally relevant assessment practices combat hegemonic structures. Far too many students are sorted and tracked through high-stakes standardized testing data, and too often, these data are used to make important decisions regarding students’ academic prospects and trajectories of study. Students of poverty and students of color are at the mercy of systemic prejudice that weakens their opportunities for success. Zimmerman’s (2002) three-part model for self-regulated learning (SRL) will be used in this study as a framework for prompting metacognitive self-regulatory behaviors: 1) forethought or goal setting, 2) performance or monitoring of task, and 3) self-assessment. SRL itself is related directly to formative assessment when feedback from the student is utilized to adjust instruction (Clark, 2012). When a student is involved in regulating her own learning, she is more likely to use self-awareness of task mastery and is more likely to feel a sense of self-satisfaction for learning (Zumbrunn, Tadlock, & Roberts 2011).
Keywords
achievement gap, action research, formative assessment, metacognition, self-assessment, self-efficacy, self-regulation
Location
Room C
Publication Type and Release Option
Presentation (Open Access)
Recommended Citation
Roueche, Mary V., "Exploring Self-regulation and Self-efficacy Through Action Research With Seventh-grade Social Studies Students" (2018). Curriculum Studies Summer Collaborative. 20.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/cssc/2018/2018/20
Exploring Self-regulation and Self-efficacy Through Action Research With Seventh-grade Social Studies Students
Room C
The purpose of the proposed action research study is to improve seventh-grade students’ self-efficacy and mental self-regulation in order to 1) improve students’ academic performance in the classroom and ameliorate an existing achievement gap; 2) provide field-tested instructional strategies and curriculum for the seventh-grade teacher team; 3) provide qualitative data to the school’s administrative team to use for course scheduling and decision making. The teacher-researcher will examine the impact self-regulation and metacognitive formative assessments have upon self-efficacy through qualitative methods. Two research questions will guide the study: 1) What are the impacts of a three-part self-regulation model and a weekly metacognitive self-assessment on seventh-grade students’ perceived self-efficacy and achievement; 2) How does the use of social action curriculum affect seventh-grade students’ motivational self-efficacy in a social-studies class? Working with a diverse population of seventh-grade students at a 6-12 charter school in South Carolina, the research will address the role of self-efficacy in student self-regulation and whether teaching metacognitive strategies through a culturally responsive curriculum has positive impact upon student academic identity, their perceptions of learning, and their academic progress.
