self-regulation

Self-regulation is the ability to regulate one’s cognition, behavior, actions, and motivation strategically and autonomously in order to achieve self-set goals including the learning of academic skills and knowledge. Accordingly, self-regulated learning involves self-generated and systematic thoughts and behaviors with the aim of attaining learning goals. With that in mind, this study aimed to examine the effect of self-regulation instruction to the intermediate EFL readers on their ability to make within-text inferences while reading. Zimmerman’s model of self-regulation with its three cyclic phases of forethought, performance and self-reflection constituted the theoretical basis of this study. Two intact intermediate classes in an English language institute were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group was trained in self-regulatory processes which were directed at EFL reading comprehension for ten sessions, while the control group received the routine, traditional reading instruction involving pre-, while-, and post-reading tasks and activities. The results of parametric one-way between-group ANCOVA showed that the experimental group outperformed the control group on the post-test of EFL reading comprehension, particularly in term of within-text inferencing. This finding revealed that self-regulation instruction aimed at EFL reading comprehension significantly contributed to learners’ ability to make correct within-text inferences while reading in English as a foreign language.

Self-regulation of learning has been extensively investigated in second language (L2) learning. Many studies have focused on the strategies that language learners employ to regulate their own learning processes. However, motivational self-regulation is considerably less explored. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between motivational self-regulatory strategies (MSRSs) and academic achievement. A motivational self-regulation questionnaire was administered to 64 male and female adult Iranian EFL learners to measure their choice of various strategies. The quantitative data was analyzed by applying correlational and multivariate analyses. The results demonstrated that there was a strong relationship between motivational self-regulatory strategy use and academic achievement. However, no difference was found between male and female learners in their use of the strategies. Further examination revealed that higher-achieving students differed from lower-achieving participants in their preference for strategies. The article concludes that while all learners use extrinsic rewards to self-regulate their motivation, more successful learners tend to manipulate learning tasks to make the tasks intrinsically interesting and pleasant. Also, more successful learners set both long-term and short-term goals to motivate themselves. The results underscore the importance of students’ personal interests, needs and goals, and suggest that teachers foster learners’ command of the strategies through instruction and cooperative activities.

Private speech utilization is accepted to have a critical role in the continuum of language acquisition. As a valuable device in studying learners’ talk during interaction, a language related episode (LRE) is any part of a dialogue where a student speaks about a language problem s/he comes across while completing a task. The present study investigated the role of private speech produced by Intermediate Iranian EFL learners while they were involved in completing a dictogloss. For this purpose, 12 female EFL learners were chosen and they were required to speak about a lexical item cooperatively while they were completing a dictogloss task. These interactions were recorded and their lexical language related episodes were transcribed. In order to investigate the private speech used in the interactions, data was coded for different forms and contents of private speech and their functions were identified. The results indicate that private speech is mostly used for self-regulation and gaining control over the task. The study has implications for teachers and researchers by giving insights on how L2 is used in interactions.

This study aimed to investigate the impact of textual enhancement and metalinguistic explanation as focus-on-form tasks tending to encourage the acquisition of nominal clauses (NCs) in English. It explored (a) whether textual enhancement and metalinguistic explanation would promote and enhance the knowledge of NCs, (b) whether these two tasks would differ in terms of enhancing learners' knowledge of nominal clauses, and (c) whether learners' use of self-regulatory capacity for grammar acquisition would have differential effects on textual enhancement and explicit explanation groups. A test of recognizing noun clauses and a test of producing combined sentences were used as both the pretest and the posttest to measure the achievement of first-year undergraduate university students in four intact classes. A grammar self-regulation questionnaire was also administered to measure the use of self-regulatory capacity. The findings demonstrated that both textual enhancement and explicit instruction contributed to developing grammatical knowledge of the learners at both recognition and production level. The results also showed that the learners who received textual enhancement used their grammar self-regulatory capacity more effectively in developing their receptive knowledge of NCs. It can be concluded that textual enhancement, which provides learners with less explicit instruction, pushes them to use their self-regulatory capacity more effectively in improving receptive knowledge of grammar.

The present study aimed to investigate the reliability and factor structure of the self-regulating capacity in vocabulary learning strategies scale (SRCvoc) in the Iranian EFL context. To this end, the original (SRCvoc) questionnaire (Tseng, Dornyei, & Schmitt, 2006) was translated into Persian, using a translation/back-translation procedure. Then, the Persian version of the SRCVOC was piloted to 43 high school students and showed acceptable internal consistency reliability (α = .81). In the main phase of the study, a sample of 1167 high school students (grades 9-12) from fifteen high schools in three Iranian cities completed the Persian SRCvoc. Based on the results, the Persian version of the scale demonstrated acceptable internal consistency reliability (<em>α </em>= 0.81). The factor structure of the translated version of the measure was investigated through a series of factor analyses. The results showed that the translated SVLSQ is composed of one dimension with five subcomponents, with a different factor structure as compared to the original questionnaire. The findings of the study suggest that the Persian version of the SVLSQ is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring self-regulatory vocabulary learning strategies in Iran. 

Aims: The aim of the current research was to Investigat the effectiveness of early educational interventions on the self regulation skills of preschool children.  Method: Statistical population was the Preschool children of Isfahan kindergarten aged 6 to 7 during 2017-2018.The sample consisted of 30 Preschool children that were selected using Attainable sampling. The sample consist of 30 Preschool children that were selected using cluster sampling (each group consisted of 15 children). The early educational interventions performed in experimental group. In the semi experimental design, the Preschool Self-regulation Assessment (Smith Donald, 2007) used to measure research variables.  Results: Results showed that early educational interventions were effective in cognitive, emotional and behavioral regulation skills and leading to improved school readiness in children. Conclusion: So early education can have the main role in self regulation among children. Thus, it indicates that effective self-regulation provides a foundation for positive classroom behavior and academic achievement.

The present study aims to investigate the probable relationship between self-regulated strategies and home cultural attachment among Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners. To achieve the purpose of this study, 90 EFL upper intermediate and advanced levels students (both male and female) were selected according to convenience sampling from different language institutes in Mashhad, Iran. They were asked to complete the 'Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire' and the 'Home Cultural Attachment Scale'. In order to achieve anonymity, each participant was also given a written consent form which elaborated the confidentiality of the obtained data. The findings based on correlation, demonstrate the theoretical expectation of a link between self-regulation and home cultural attachment. In addition, the result of the findings indicated that among the components of self-regulated strategies, 'self-regulation' and 'self-efficacy' have the highest correlations with students' home cultural attachment. Subsequent data from step-wise regression showed that among sub-components of self-regulation, regulation is the best predictor of learners' home cultural attachment. The implications of the research are further discussed with reference to earlier findings.

  The purpose of this study was to investigate the mediation role of study habits in the relationship between progressive motivation and self-regulated learning in first-grade students. The research method was descriptive and correlational. The statistical population of this study included all the high school students in the second district of Kerman consisting of 3900 students in the academic year of 2018. According to the Morgan table, 350 students selected through stratified random sampling methods were selected as the sample. To collect the data, Buffard et al. (1994) self-regulation questionnaire, as well as Kazemi's Educational Achievement Motivation (2007) and Pulessani and Sharma (1989) study habit questionnaires were used. According to the results of the study, there is a significant relationship between progressive motivation and self-regulation (p <0.05); a significant relationship between the developmental motivation and the study habits (p <0.05); and between the study habits and the self- regulation (p <0.05). Also, it was found that study habits have a mediator role in the relationship between progress and self-regulation (p <0.05).

The present study aimed at investigating the effect of peer and teacher scaffolding through a process approach in a technology-enhanced environment on vocabulary learning among high and low self-regulated learners. Participants of the study were 120 English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners who were selected based on their scores on a sample copy of the Oxford Placement Test (OPT). The participants were divided into three groups each consisting of 40 learners. One group of the participants received peer scaffolding; the second group was exposed to teacher scaffolding via the Telegram app based on process approach principles, while the third group served as the control group. The control group received conventional vocabulary teaching in such a way that the Telegram app was not employed. The learners in the control group were also provided with vocabulary exercises in the vocabulary book (English Vocabulary in Use). Data were collected through a sample copy of OPT, a vocabulary test, and a self-regulation questionnaire. The results of a one-way ANOVA revealed that both peer and teacher scaffolding significantly affected vocabulary learning. However, there was no significant difference between peer and teacher scaffolding in terms of their effects on vocabulary learning. The results of a two-way ANOVA indicated that the main effect of treatment on vocabulary learning was significant; however, there was no statistically significant difference between the effects of the two treatment modalities on students’ vocabulary learning.

The present empirical study investigated the relationship between Iranian undergraduate TEFL learners’ self-regulation and their self-efficacy. For this end, there have been a total number of 120 college students learning English as a foreign language who volunteered to complete the two quantitative questionnaires of self-regulation and self-efficacy respectively. The participants were informed of the anonymous nature of the data collection process in advance. They were also told that their responses would certainly be kept confidential and that they had the right to quit at any part of the survey. It took around 15–20 minutes for each respondent to complete the survey. In the meanwhile, some of the participants (around ten) also willingly answered the qualitative descriptive semi-structured questions of the interview, until that the interview responses were saturated. After the process of data collection, the findings were measured through correlation analysis, indicating that self-regulation and self-efficacy were jointly linked and had a directly positive relationship. Accordingly, it was revealed that the employment of these two highly associated psychological constructs could systematically guide and help learners to enhance their learning capabilities and lead them to ultimate desired learning goals. Ultimately, it was concluded from the findings of the current study that the delicate association between self-regulation and self-efficacy was really helpful for learners to lead them successfully to their academic goals.

The present research investigated the effect of self-regulatory approach (with two components of self-checking and self-efficacy) on pre-intermediate Iranian learners' lexical segmentation in listening comprehension via authentic listening comprehension texts. To achieve this purpose, the investigators administered an Oxford Placement Test (2007) to ninety-eight students of two girls’ private junior high schools in Abadan. The participants were in grade seven at pre-intermediate level. Ninety-two students were selected out of ninety-eight and after homogenizing the participants linguistically, they were divided into four groups. Twenty-three students of every 4 classes whose scores were nearly the same were considered as one group. There were one control group and three experimental groups. A teacher-made pretest which was piloted by the researchers was administered to all groups. Then, the experimental groups were instructed under an eight-sessions treatment which was self-regulated teaching via authentic and non-authentic texts. Finally, the participants took a posttest similar to the pretest on lexical segmentation in listening comprehension. Both pretest and posttest reliability were calculated with Cronbach Alpha. Statistical analyses were done through one-way ANOVA. the result of the study indicated that self-regulated approach teaching through authentic materials can improve learners’ lexical segmentation of listening comprehension.

The current mixed-method research aimed to investigate the effects of self-constructs on self-regulation. To this end, a number of 127 Iranian EFL learners were chosen randomly as the sample of the study. To collect data, semi-structured interviews were designed. Also, correlation analysis and regression analysis were run on the data. The results of interview data suggested that motivated learners who reported self-regulation tended to display positive visualization of their ideal L2 self and self-efficacy beliefs. Besides, the result of correlation analysis indicated that ideal L2 self had stronger association with self-efficacy beliefs than with self-regulation, suggesting that it is necessary to hold positive beliefs towards language learning in order to visualize oneself as a proficient and successful language user. Of the two self-constructs, self-regulation turned out to be most strongly associated with self-efficacy followed by ideal L2 self indicating that what characterizes self-regulated learners is that their levels of self-efficacy is higher compared to those who are not. Finally, the result of regression analysis revealed that self-efficacy and, to the lesser extent, ideal L2 self were found as direct predictors of self-regulation. It seems unlikely to be a motivated learner without the actual beliefs in ones’ ability and a strong actualization of one’s image as a successful language user.   

The complexity of self-regulatory strategies has been challenging to educational researchers who seek to find proper interventions that benefit students and teachers. This study has employed the Self-Regulatory Strategy Development (SRSD) model of instruction to help students monitor, evaluate and revise their writing. SRSD would be beneficial for adult students with learning disabilities in the procedure of essay writing. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) as a cognitive-behavioral dysregulation is a consequence of deficits in self-regulatory process. Many students with learning disorders such as ADHD have trouble in the mechanics and process of writing. The purpose of this study is to explore the effects of SRSD on the essay writing of EFL undergraduate students. This study tried to evaluate the effects of SRSD intervention on the essay writing of ADHD and NON-ADHD students. To fulfill the mentioned objectives, 126 EFL undergraduate students who enrolled in essay writing course at Tehran Azad University participated in this study. The results indicated that SRSD instruction had a significant effect on the essay writing of the EFL undergraduate students. Likewise, ADHD students could achieve a significant improvement after receiving SRSD intervention. چکیده: پیچیدگی روش های خود تنظیمی برای محققین حوزه آموزش معمولا چالش برانگیز بوده است و آنها همیشه سعی در یافتن روش مناسبی برای دانشجویان و اساتید در این زمینه داشته اند. این تحقیق از روش "استراتژی های ایجاد خود تنظیمی" برای کمک به دانشجویان در زمینه های مشاهده، ارزیابی و تجدیدنظر بهره برده است. "استراتژی های ایجاد خود تنظیمی" برای دانشجویانی که در زمینه نگارش مشکل دارند مفید خواهد بود. "اختلال بیش فعالی کمبود توجه" به عنوان یک نابهنجاری شناختی- رفتاری، که درنتیجه اختلال درفرایند خود تنظیمی بوجود می آید، مورد بررسی قرار گرفت. بسیاری از دانشجویان که در یادگیری دچار مشکل هستند برای مثال آنهایی که "اختلال بیش فعالی کمبود توجه" دارند در روند و مراحل مقاله نویس با مشکلاتی روبرو هستند. هدف این تحقیق بررسی تاثیرات "استراتژی های ایجاد خود تنظیمی" بر توانایی نگارش دانشجویان کارشناسی زبان انگلیسی (زبان انگلیسی به عنوان زبان بیگانه) بوده است. این تحقیق به منظور ارزیابی تاثیرات بکارگیری روش "استراتژی های ایجاد خود تنظیمی" بر نگارش دانشجویانی که مشکل "اختلال بیش فعالی کمبود توجه" داشتند و دانشجویانی که این مشکل را نداشتند انجام شد. به این منظور 126 دانشجوی کارشناسی زبان انگلیسی (زبان انگلیسی به عنوان زبان بیگانه) که درس مقاله نویسی را در دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی میگذراندند در این تحقیق شرکت کردند. نتایج نشان داد که روش آموزشی "استراتژی های ایجاد خود تنظیمی" بر توانایی مقاله نویسی دانشجویان تاثیر قابل توجهی داشت. همچنین دانشجویانی که مشکل "اختلال بیش فعالی کمبود توجه" را داشتند بعد از بکارگیری "استراتژی های ایجاد خود تنظیمی" پیشرفت قابل ملاحظه ای داشتند.  کلید واژه ها: اختلال بیش فعالی کمبود توجه – خود تنظیمی – استراتژی های ایجاد خود تنظیمی – مقاله نویسی.  

This study aimed at investigating the relationship between Willingness to Communicate and EFL learners’ Communication Apprehension, Self-perceived Communicative Competence, Self-regulation, Need for Closure, Tolerance of Ambiguity as well as Aggression. The participants of this study were 300 (197 female and 103 male) Iranian EFL learners of English language institutes in Isfahan. To fulfill the purpose of the study, participants were asked to answer seven questionnaires on Willingness to Communicate (WTC), Communication Apprehension (CA), Self-perceived Communicative Competence (SPCC), Self-regulation (SR), Need for Closure (NFC), Tolerance of Ambiguity (TA) and Aggression (Agg). The results of Structural Equation Modeling confirmed previous studies on the relationship between EFL learners’ WTC and SPCC as well as CA asserting that WTC was positively correlated with SPCC and negatively with CA. It was also found that WTC positively correlated with TA. However, the findings revealed no relationship between WTC and SR, NFC and Agg. This study had implications for EFL learners and teachers regarding the factors influencing WTC in language classrooms.

The main purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between EFL teachers’ self-regulatory trait and effective teaching. Furthermore, the study aimed to find out the relationship between EFL teachers’ self-regulatory trait with some demographics such as gender and years of teaching experience. The participants were 85 EFL male and female teachers between the age ranges of 27 to 52. In addition, 200 male and female high school students between the age ranges of 15 to 17 participated in this study. Self-regulatory trait of the teachers was explored through Teacher Self-regulation Scale (TSR) questionnaire and the qualities of successful Iranian EFL teachers were explored through Qualities of Successful Iranian EFL Teachers’ Questionnaire (QSIET). Empirical analysis revealed that no significant relationship existed between teachers' gender and their self-regulatory trait. However, a significant relationship was found between teachers' self-regulatory trait and years of teaching. The implications of this study can be practical and useful for EFL teachers, who eagerly try to improve their teaching qualifications as well as teacher-training courses. The findings can be also helpful for language teaching designers to design proper syllabuses and materials for language teaching.

Purpose: This paper follows a two-fold objective: First it examines the relationship between the external factors of compensation, support, empowerment, boundaries and expectations, pre-service and in- service training and Iranian EFL teachers’ performance. Second, it searches for the moderating effect of self-regulation on the relationship between teachers’ external assets and their performance. Methodology: To achieve the above aims, a quantitative approach to research was employed. The samples included two hundred Iranian EFL teachers of universities and English institutes of Kerman, Iran. The data were collected by means of self-administered questionnaires and analyzed by AMOS software. The direct structural model was employed to determine the path relationships between the external factors and teachers’ performance. Findings: The result showed that external assets had a positive and significant effect on the Iranian EFL teachers' performance as dependent variable (β = .372, C. R= 6.211, P <.05). Moreover, self-regulation moderates the path relation between two of the variables: boundaries and expectation and the EFL teachers' performance. The path relation between the other four variables of the external assets including pre-service and in- service training, support, compensation and empowerment for low and high self-regulation was not found to be significant, i.e. self-regulation moderation effect for these relations was not supported. Discussion: Working conditions for teachers should be best promote effective learning and enable teachers to concentrate on their professional tasks.

Purpose: The aim of this research was investigate the effect of participative management and self-regulation on conflict management of managers with mediate role of spiritual transcendence. Methodology: The present study is applied in terms of purpose and in terms of implementation, it was descriptive-correlation. The research statistical population was the male and female teachers of one and two districts of Urmia city in 2019-20 academic years. According to the Cochran’s formula, 343 people were selected as the sample by the stratified sampling method based on the service area. The research instruments was the questionnaires of participative management (Feyzi & et al, 2009), self-regulation (Bouffard & et al, 1995), conflict management (Thomas & Kilmann, 1974) and spiritual transcendence (Piedmont, 1999). Data were analyzed with methods of Pearson correlation coefficients and structural equation modeling in SPSS-19 and Smart PLS-3 software. Findings: The findings showed that participative management and self-regulation on spiritual transcendence, and participative management, self-regulation and spiritual transcendence on conflict management had a positive and direct effect. Also, participative management and self-regulation with mediating spiritual transcendence on conflict management had a positive and indirect effect (P<0.05). Studies have shown that the research the model had the fit well. Conclusion: Spiritual transcendence was a good mediator between participatory management and self-regulation with conflict management, so according to the results to improve conflict management of managers can improve the level of their participative management, self-regulation and transcendence through training workshops.

Purpose: Considering the role and importance of self-learning in academic success and performance, the present study was conducted with the aim of constructing of self-learning assessment tool in the university. Methodology: The present study in terms of applied purpose and in terms of how it was performed, it was cross-sectional. The population and sample of the research in the first part were the professors of Islamic State and Islamic Azad universities of Tehran and Gilan provinces in the academic year 2019-2010, from which 60 people were selected by multi-stage cluster sampling method. And in the second part, the students were from the same universities, from which 450 people were selected by multi-stage cluster method. Based on literature review and interviews with professors, 91 items were designed in six dimensions: Hitagogic ability, self-regulation, critical thinking, knowledge management, adult education, and learning styles. To evaluate the face and content validity of experts, to evaluate the construct validity by exploratory factor analysis and to evaluate the reliability of Cronbach’s alpha coefficients in SPSS software version 19. Findings: The findings showed that according to experts’ opinion 15 items were removed and the final form of the scale had 76 items. Also, the results of confirmatory factor analysis showed that the self-learning assessment scale in the university had six factors of Hitagogic ability, self-regulation, critical thinking, knowledge management, adult education and learning styles that reliability through Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for all factors above 0.70 and for the whole scale was 0.932. Conclusion: According to the results of this study, the self-learning assessment scale in the university had appropriate psychometric indices and can be used as a suitable and valid tool in other studies to assess self-learning.

urpose: The aim of this study was to model the positive development of adolescence based on self-regulation, social competence and parental bond with the mediating role of perception of school atmosphere. Methodology: The research method was correlation based on structural equations. The statistical population included all female high school students in Tehran who were studying in 2019-20. Using cluster random sampling method, 400 students were selected as the research sample. To collect data from the Geldhof Adolescent Positive Development Questionnaire (2014), the Self-Regulatory Questionnaire Moilanen (2007), the Felner Social Competence Questionnaire (1990), the Parker Parental Bonding Questionnaire (1979), and the Trickett & Moos Atmosphere Perception Questionnaire (1973) was used. Data analysis was performed using structural equation method using lisrel and SPSS software. Findings: The results showed that the research has a good fit and the positive development of adolescence can be predicted based on the variables of self-regulation, social competence and parental bond with the mediating role of perception of school atmosphere and the research hypotheses were confirmed. Overall, the results show that to predict the positive development of adolescence, we can emphasize self-regulation, social competence and parental bond with the mediating role of perception of school atmosphere and the obtained model can be used in teaching positive adolescent development. Conclusion: The development of self-regulatory variables, social competence and parental bonding is the best way to prevent problems related to the development of adolescent behavior and promoting these components and their education and improvement can be very effective in forming a positive adolescent development.

Purpose: The aim of present research was determine the modeling of self-regulation based on cognitive flexibility with mediated role of psychological hardiness in students. Methodology: The present study was descriptive, correlational type. The research population was all secondary high school students of Tehran city in academic years of 2019-20, which from them 499 students were selected by step cluster sampling method. Data were collected by self-regulation questionnaire (Bouffard & et al, 1995), cognitive flexibility inventory (Dennis & Vander Wal, 2010) and psychological hardiness scale (Lang & Goulet, 2003) and analyzed by structural equation modeling method in SPSS-22 and Amos-21 software. Findings: The findings showed that the model of self-regulation based on cognitive flexibility with mediated role of psychological hardiness in students had a good fit. Also, cognitive flexibility on psychological hardiness and psychological hardiness on self-regulation had significant direct effect (P<0.001), while cognitive flexibility on self-regulation had not significant direct effect (P>0.05). In Addition, cognitive flexibility with mediated of psychological hardiness on self-regulation had significant indirect effect (P=0.009). Conclusion: Regarded to the results, school counselors and psychologists can via increasing cognitive flexibility and psychological hardiness directly and indirectly led to improve self-regulation of students.