Project PuS-SeL

Problem Solving and Strategies - Self-Regulation in Learning

Self-regulation describes the ability to set goals independently, to motivate oneself to work on them, to select and use appropriate learning strategies, and finally to reflect on the learning process. Pupils are particularly dependent on the use of self-regulation strategies in school and especially when learning independently at home. As learning strategies are consolidated at an early age, it is particularly important to promote self-regulation in young children.

The PuS-SeL project therefore focuses on the different components of self-regulation in primary school children’s learning and the factors that influence the use of self-regulation strategies. Based on these findings, approaches for the targeted promotion of self-regulation in primary schools will be explored. The research project consists of several sub-studies. A first study will examine the role of individual prerequisites (such as self-efficacy, cognitive and motivational processes, and knowledge of self-regulation strategies) and contextual factors (such as the promotion of self-regulation by parents and teachers) for the use of strategies. Further studies will use video-based training and instructional videos to test how children learn to use self-regulation strategies through modelling in play situations and whether they transfer this to school learning situations. We will test the effectiveness of pure modelling versus implicit and explicit strategy instruction.

The research project has the following aims:

• Developing and testing instruments to assess cognitive, metacognitive and motivational prerequisites for self-regulation in primary school children’s learning.
• To describe and test correlations between individual and contextual factors that influence the use of self-regulation strategies in game-based problem solving and school tasks.
• To investigate the effectiveness of implicit and explicit teaching of self-regulation strategies.