Educators and educational researchers constantly strive to find effective instructional methods that meet the needs of struggling students. There is a well-established relationship between self-regulated learning and academic achievement. Therefore, a great deal of research has been conducted examining the effectiveness of interventions designed to develop self-regulated learning sub-processes including goal setting, help-seeking behavior, self-monitoring, and causal attributions. One particular sub-process that has gained significant attention is self-motivation beliefs, which includes goal orientation. Developing a growth mindset, or the belief that that intelligence is malleable, has been found to increase student learning. Intelligent tutoring systems have also been incorporated into K-12 education to help differentiate instruction and improve learning outcomes. There have been several empirical studies that have attempted to develop help-seeking behavior and growth mindset with interventions delivered by intelligent tutoring systems. Initially, the goal of this dissertation was to increase student learning by developing self-regulated learning through the use of an intelligent tutoring system. Preliminary attempts failed to modify student beliefs and behavior. As a result, a series of additional randomized controlled trials were conducted. This dissertation is a compilation of those studies, which attempted to leverage ASSISTments, an intelligent tutoring system, to improve student learning in mathematics. Each randomized controlled trial introduced an intervention, based on prior work, designed to address at least one aspect of self-regulated learning and measure the effect on learning. Most of the studies were unsuccessful in producing significant changes in either self-regulation or learning, failing to support the findings of prior research. Survey results suggest that students are reluctant to engage in certain self-regulated learning behaviors, like self-recording, because of the frustration caused when answering a question incorrectly. Based on the findings from these studies, recommendations for potential interventions and future research are discussed.

O presente trabalho investiga estratégias para aperfeiçoar o estudo individual do violonista com base no conceito de autorregulaçaao da aprendizagem e nas informações da literatura musical. Nas últimas décadas, pesquisas tem enfatizado a importância do aspecto qualitativo no estudo individual (Barry, 1992; Nielsen, 1999 e 2001; Williamon e Valentine, 2000; Hallam, 2001) e destacam que saber como estudar eí uma habilidade fundamental para sustentar o contínuo aperfeiçoamento musical. Essa capacidade de regular o próprio estudo se relaciona com o mecanismo da autor regulação, conjunto de processos psicológicos pelos quais o ser humano regula seu comportamento. Como referencia principal para o estudo desse conceito eí utilizado Barry J. Zimmerman (2000, 2002) e também Mcpherson e Zimmerman (2011) que discutem a autor regulação na prática do músico. Da literatura musical as principais referências são os livros de Gerald Klickstein (2009) e dos violonistas Ricardo Iznaola (2000), Richard Provost (1992) e Lee F. Ryan (1991), que discutem viários aspectos relacionados à prática individual do músico. As informações trazidas pelos autores da aéra musical foram discutidas e organizadas de forma a trazer um panorama das estratégias para o aperfeiçoamento da prática e para estimular o comportamento autorregulado do estudante (de universidade ou conservatório superior). O trabalho incluiu também uma etapa prática, na qual as informações levantadas na parte teórica foram aplicadas na rotina de estudos pessoal. A experiência teve o objetivo de observar as implicações desta abordagem e foi registrada como um memorial de estudo através de relatórios e vídeos. Em suma, a análise dessa etapa se alinha com as evidências da pesquisa empírica, de que o engajamento do estudante em procedimentos como analise prévia da tarefa, estabelecimento de metas, planejamento, escolha de estratégias adequadas e reflexão sobre o estudo tem um impacto positivo na eficiência do aprendizado e no desenvolvimento musical. / This research explores strategies to improve the classical guitarist\'s individual practice based on the concept of self-regulated learning and resources from musical literature. During the last decades, a great amount of research has emphasized the relevance of qualitative aspect in music practice (Barry, 1992; Nielsen, 1999 e 2001; Williamon e Valentine, 2000; Hallam, 2001) and suggest that knowing how to practice is an essential ability to support constant musical improvement. The skill of regulating one\'s study is related to self-regulation mechanisms, which is a set of psychological procedures in which the human being regulates his own behavior. It is chosen, as main reference to the self-regulation study, Barry J. Zimmerman (2000, 2002) and also Mcpherson e Zimmerman (2011), that discusses the self-regulation in the musical activity. The main references from the musical literature are the books of Gerald Klickstein (2009) and the classical guitarists Ricardo Iznaola (2000), Richard Provost (1992), Lee F. Ryan (1991), that presents several aspects related to the musician individual practice. The knowledge brought from the authors in musical field were debated and organized in order to provide a panorama of strategies to enhance music practice and to stimulate students\' self-regulated behavior (at university or conservatory level). This paper includes a practical stage as well, in which the collected information from the theoretical stage was applied to my study routine. The experiment has had the aim of observing and discussing the implications of self-regulation strategies, and it was registered as a study report through daily logs, audio recordings and videos. Lastly, the analysis and reflection of this practical process relates to the empirical research evidences, which show that the student\'s commitment in some procedures, such as task analysis, goal setting, planning, the choice of suitable strategies and reflection about the study, leads to a positive impact in practice efficiency and musical development.

<p> Students who achieve their long-term goal of graduating from college are models of persistence and grit. Grit is the self-regulatory construct defined as “passion and perseverance for long-term goals despite setbacks, failures, and competing pursuits” (Eskreis-Winkler, Gross, Duckworth, 2016) and has been associated with both academic and workplace success (Eskreis-Winkler, Duckworth, Shulman, & Beal, 2014). Unfortunately, 37% of freshmen drop out of college by the end of their freshmen year (Almeida, 2016; Snyder, de Brey, & Dillow, 2018). The college classroom provides an optimal environment for institutions of higher learning to foster the grit-to-graduate<i> </i>in college freshmen, to enhance learning and academic success, and to increase goal commitment to graduation, degree achievement, and career readiness.</p> <p> The purpose of this study was to investigate whether six pedagogical interventions and project adaptations would increase student grit in an entry-level communication class heavily comprised of freshmen. Four class sections were administered the 12-item grit scale (Duckworth, 2019) during the first and last week of first semester at a Midwestern University (<i>N</i>=79). The experimental group received the pedagogical grit interventions throughout the semester; the control group did not. A repeated measures ANOVA computed the variance of grit scores between the groups. Students in the experimental group also provided quantitative and qualitative data about which pedagogical instruments they found most effective.</p> <p> While the hypothesis was not supported, student feedback on the six grit interventions was largely positive. Ideas for improving the interventions and for fostering grit and college persistence in freshmen are included.</p> <br>

O presente trabalho investiga estratégias para aperfeiçoar o estudo individual do violonista com base no conceito de autorregulaçaao da aprendizagem e nas informações da literatura musical. Nas últimas décadas, pesquisas tem enfatizado a importância do aspecto qualitativo no estudo individual (Barry, 1992; Nielsen, 1999 e 2001; Williamon e Valentine, 2000; Hallam, 2001) e destacam que saber como estudar eí uma habilidade fundamental para sustentar o contínuo aperfeiçoamento musical. Essa capacidade de regular o próprio estudo se relaciona com o mecanismo da autor regulação, conjunto de processos psicológicos pelos quais o ser humano regula seu comportamento. Como referencia principal para o estudo desse conceito eí utilizado Barry J. Zimmerman (2000, 2002) e também Mcpherson e Zimmerman (2011) que discutem a autor regulação na prática do músico. Da literatura musical as principais referências são os livros de Gerald Klickstein (2009) e dos violonistas Ricardo Iznaola (2000), Richard Provost (1992) e Lee F. Ryan (1991), que discutem viários aspectos relacionados à prática individual do músico. As informações trazidas pelos autores da aéra musical foram discutidas e organizadas de forma a trazer um panorama das estratégias para o aperfeiçoamento da prática e para estimular o comportamento autorregulado do estudante (de universidade ou conservatório superior). O trabalho incluiu também uma etapa prática, na qual as informações levantadas na parte teórica foram aplicadas na rotina de estudos pessoal. A experiência teve o objetivo de observar as implicações desta abordagem e foi registrada como um memorial de estudo através de relatórios e vídeos. Em suma, a análise dessa etapa se alinha com as evidências da pesquisa empírica, de que o engajamento do estudante em procedimentos como analise prévia da tarefa, estabelecimento de metas, planejamento, escolha de estratégias adequadas e reflexão sobre o estudo tem um impacto positivo na eficiência do aprendizado e no desenvolvimento musical. / This research explores strategies to improve the classical guitarist\'s individual practice based on the concept of self-regulated learning and resources from musical literature. During the last decades, a great amount of research has emphasized the relevance of qualitative aspect in music practice (Barry, 1992; Nielsen, 1999 e 2001; Williamon e Valentine, 2000; Hallam, 2001) and suggest that knowing how to practice is an essential ability to support constant musical improvement. The skill of regulating one\'s study is related to self-regulation mechanisms, which is a set of psychological procedures in which the human being regulates his own behavior. It is chosen, as main reference to the self-regulation study, Barry J. Zimmerman (2000, 2002) and also Mcpherson e Zimmerman (2011), that discusses the self-regulation in the musical activity. The main references from the musical literature are the books of Gerald Klickstein (2009) and the classical guitarists Ricardo Iznaola (2000), Richard Provost (1992), Lee F. Ryan (1991), that presents several aspects related to the musician individual practice. The knowledge brought from the authors in musical field were debated and organized in order to provide a panorama of strategies to enhance music practice and to stimulate students\' self-regulated behavior (at university or conservatory level). This paper includes a practical stage as well, in which the collected information from the theoretical stage was applied to my study routine. The experiment has had the aim of observing and discussing the implications of self-regulation strategies, and it was registered as a study report through daily logs, audio recordings and videos. Lastly, the analysis and reflection of this practical process relates to the empirical research evidences, which show that the student\'s commitment in some procedures, such as task analysis, goal setting, planning, the choice of suitable strategies and reflection about the study, leads to a positive impact in practice efficiency and musical development.

Due to its unsupervised nature, undergraduate education requires students to manage their own learning. They need to use self-regulated learning (SRL) strategies in order to achieve academic success. However, college students often have insufficient regulatory skills and strategies, suggesting the need for substantive and practical support. Supplemental Instruction (SI) is a well-recognized academic intervention that utilizes peer-led study groups for difficult college courses, through which students can develop their SRL abilities. This study focuses on the role of the SI program in college students’ development of SRL from a person-centered perspective. First, this study examines the heterogeneous effects of the SI intervention on students’ development of SRL by combining latent profile modeling and propensity score matching. Second, it explores the changes in student SRL profiles over the intervention period and determines factors affecting the prediction of such changes using latent transition modeling. Results identify three distinct student profiles: competent regulator, self-confident regulator, and goal-oriented regulator. Within the competent regulator profile, both SI and non-SI attendees’ overall SRL scores significantly decreased over time, though non- SI attendees showed a greater downturn. For the self-confident regulator profile, only SI attendees’ overall SRL scores increased. Both SI and non-SI attendees in the goal-oriented regulator profile had small decreases in scores, which were not statistically significant. Regarding students’ longitudinal transitions between SRL profiles, students in the most desirable profile (competent regulator) remained most stable over time. Students’ SRL in the goal-oriented regulator profile was most malleable in a positive way; approximately 40% of these students moved into the competent regulator profile. In addition, students whose decision to attend the SI sessions was more mastery-oriented tended to fall into more positive transition groups. Furthermore, students whose levels of self-confidence in learning, critical thinking skills, and group work skills increased as a result of their participation in SI sessions were more likely to become members of more positive transition groups. The findings of this study extend previous work by longitudinally examining individual differences in college students’ SRL development. They also provide significant implications for the future design of more targeted interventions.

Process skills, such as critical thinking, communication, and problem solving, are sometimes referred to as soft skills or professional skills and have been identified by instructors and employers alike as being desirable skills for students to acquire before they graduate. The development and assessment of process skills in students were important learning objectives for both the ANA-POGIL (Analytical Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning) and ELIPSS (Enhancing Learning by Improving Process Skills in STEM) projects. The ANA-POGIL project consisted of a faculty consortium that was comprised of chemistry faculty. The ELIPSS project currently consists of a faculty consortium that includes representation from multiple STEM disciplines, including biology, chemistry, anatomy & physiology, math, engineering, and physics. In order to optimize the student development of process skills there should be alignment between the instructors’ goals for their courses and what they assess. The faculty members associated with both of these projects wanted to enhance students’ development of process skills by providing them with feedback, and a problem solving rubric was developed to meet those needs. The rubric categories were constructed based on faculty definitions and literature that described characteristics of successful problem solvers. To the test the rubric’s validity, it was piloted by both faculty and students. The rubric was then used in an advanced analytical instrumental laboratory course to assess the extent to which evidence of students’ process skills changed over the course of a semester. Students from the laboratory course were interviewed to gather their insights into the rubric and how they used the feedback. Findings suggest that instructors should emphasize the importance of process skills and incorporate them directly into their courses if they want students to value them. Even though students were provided regular feedback, their problem solving scores did not change appreciably throughout the semester. While students found the rubric feedback useful on the surface, they did not use the feedback in any significant way to improve on their laboratory reports because there was no grade or incentive tied to the rubrics. If faculty want students to obtain process skills, they should place some incentive on the acquisition and development of them. Another goal of the ANA-POGIL project was to develop multi-part, open-ended questions to assess process skills. To analyze evidence of the process skills that were present in the student responses, a qualitative coding scheme focused on three process skills (information processing, problem solving, and critical thinking) was used. There was overall good alignment between the process skills the faculty had identified for the exam questions and the evidence that was found in the student responses. Findings show that if instructors value eliciting a certain process skill in students’ responses, then they should be extremely explicit in how the exam structure is worded to elicit that skill. Well-designed laboratories help students develop skills in experimental design, data analysis, and communication in addition to critical technical skills. A common course structure that presents challenges for both the students and instructional staff is in upper-level undergraduate chemistry laboratories where students perform experiments in a rotational style, with each group of students working on one instrument per week. As a solution to this challenge, a set of pre-laboratory videos were generated for each experiment. Laboratory observations and student interviews were conducted to investigate how students were using the resources and to characterize their experiences in the laboratory. Findings show that students used the resources to come more prepared to complete the laboratory experiments more independently with less instructional intervention. Findings from the student observations and experiences in the laboratory show that students enjoyed working with both their peers and the instructional team to successfully complete the experiments.

Task interpretation is a critical first step in the process of self-regulated learning and a key determinant of the goals students set while learning and the criteria used in selecting the strategy in their work. Laboratory activities have been proposed to improve students' conceptual understanding when working independently and alongside peers while integrating new experiences in a lab setting. The purpose of this study was to investigate how the explicit and implicit aspects of student's interpretation of the task assigned during laboratory work may change during the task process, and how that interpretation may influence the student's coregulation and conceptual understanding. One-hundred and forty-three sophomore students enrolled in the course of Fundamental Electronics for Engineers participated in this study. Instruments designed to measure task interpretation and conceptual understanding were created and validated in a pilot study. They were applied before and after selected laboratory activities during the semester. The instrument used to measure correlation was applied at the end of every selected laboratory activity. Statistical analysis indicated differences between the student's task interpretation before and after the laboratory activity. Students improved in approximately 15% in the level of task interpretation. From the 143 students, only 37 of them were identified with high levels of task interpretation and coregulation. Moreover, Pearson correlations identified a positive correlation between the students' task interpretation and conceptual understanding of the students during the laboratory work. Findings suggested students' task interpretation changed during the task process and increased after the completion of laboratory activity. Overall, the findings showed a low level of task interpretation. However, students with a high level of task interpretation reached high levels of coregulation. Findings confirmed previous research that round students generally have an incomplete understanding of the assigned tasks, and struggle to establish a connection between laboratory activities and theory. Lastly, this study reported a significant relationship between students' task interpretation and conceptual understanding in laboratory work which has not been reported in the most recent published reports. Further investigation is necessary to unveil other factors related to these constructs in order to engage students in laboratory work.

Effective practice determines the quality of a performance and it is essential to improving a musician's overall level of playing. Studies show that experts in the field of music display superior metacognitive skills, or the ability to think about one's thinking. Metacognition is an important skill that needs to be developed in order for a student to become a self-regulated, or independent learner. Effective practice can be improved by learning and developing metacognitive and self-regulated learning skills. An important component of self-regulated learning is reflective thinking. Reflective thinking is a mental process that contributes to deeper learning experiences, improves problem solving skills, and enhances creativity. Reflective thinking can be stimulated with writing activities. Research and theories of reflective practices informed the creation of the Reflective Writing Prompts. The Reflective Writing Prompts stimulate reflective thinking as they teach and develop metacognitive and self-regulated learning skills to make practice more effective. Each exercise prompts the student to think and write a response to questions focused on a specific skill. These prompts are based on research in music psychology and reflective thinking, with special focus on metacognition, self-regulated learning, practice habits, and reflective journaling. The pertinent studies and theories in these areas will be examined and explained in relation to each other. With this foundational knowledge in place, the Reflective Writing Prompts will be presented. The prompts are designed to support first or second year music students in their development as independent learners who practice effectively.

Self-regulated learning theory explains how it is not only the amount of time musicians spend practising that affects achievement, but also the nature of the strategies employed. Because practice is self-directed, motivational effects on its efficiency are especially salient. One construct that has received little attention in relation to practising is self-determination theory, which interprets motivation as lying along a continuum of perceived autonomy. This mixed-methods study investigated links between motivational beliefs and self-regulated practising behaviour through a two-phase design. In Phase One, 677 music examination candidates aged 8-19 completed a questionnaire consisting of items addressing practising behaviour and perceived musical competence; in addition, the Self-Regulation Questionnaire (SRQ; Ryan & Connell, 1989) was adapted to explore intrinsic-extrinsic motives for learning an instrument. Factor analysis of the SRQ revealed five dimensions with partial correspondence to earlier research: internal, external, social, shame-related, and exam-related motives. Three practice behaviour factors consistent with self-regulated learning theory emerged: effort management, monitoring, and strategy use. Results of structural equation modelling showed that internal motivation accounted best for variance in these three types of practising behaviour, with a small added effect from competence beliefs and exam-related motivation. Phase Two consisted of observational case studies of four of the questionnaire participants preparing for their subsequent annual examination. Adolescent, intermediate-level musicians were recorded while practising at home; immediately afterwards, they watched the videotape and verbalised any recollected thoughts. The procedure concluded with a semi-structured interview and debriefing. The videotapes were analysed with The Observer Video-Pro and combined with verbal data; emerging themes were then compared with issues arising from the interviews. The observational aspect of the case studies largely confirmed the importance of three cyclical self-regulatory processes emerging from Phase One: (a) effort management and motivational self-regulation, (b) the role of self-monitoring of accuracy, and (c) the use of corrective strategies, such as structured repetition, task simplification, and vocalisation. The mixture of quantitative and qualitative methods used in the study has uncovered a rich body of information that begins to clarify the complex motivational and behavioural nature of young people practising a musical instrument.

The experiments described in this thesis tested whether encouraging the use of self-regulatory learning strategies enhances the effectiveness of autonomous study for novices in a learning domain. Previous research and theory have suggested that high-achieving students are proficient at self-regulating their learning, and they do so using a range of learning strategies for planning their study, monitoring the effectiveness of their efforts and elaborating their knowledge. Information processing theories of instructional design suggest that learning is optimal when working memory load is managed effectively. Accordingly, methods have been devised for reducing load associated with unnecessary task requirements, as well as dedicating additional capacity to the construction and automation of knowledge schemas. Less is known, however, about instructional methods for encouraging self-regulatory learning strategies. Experiments 1, 2 and 4 examined the effect of encouraging participants to reflect on their understanding of topics they had been taught previously. Although these participants were able to accurately estimate their level of understanding in some situations, they failed to consistently use this knowledge to guide their study of topics they had previously understood poorly. In light of this finding, Experiments 3 and 5 examined the effect of encouraging participants to plan a free study period, with the direction to prioritise the topics that they had understood the least well. This intervention had a modest positive effect on post-test performance. Experiment 6 examined the effect of encouraging two elaborative strategies, namely explanation generation and summarisation. The former benefited performance, whereas the effectiveness of the latter depended on the comprehensiveness of the summaries produced by the participants. Finally, Experiment 7 examined the effect of providing broad-spectrum instruction in learning strategies, with minimal requirements to engage in specific strategies. This intervention resulted in an overall benefit to performance. Overall, the results of this dissertation suggest that certain instructional aids for self-regulation yield benefits to the autonomous study by domain novices without overburdening working memory.