Research Article
Ahmet Coymak
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 10, Issue 1, pp. 94-105
ABSTRACT
There is a growing interest in the use of computer-based learning environments to enhance learning in higher education, but the implications of this on the improvement of metacognition in higher education have yet to be adequately explored. In the current study, 175 students who enrolled in an introductory psychology course were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (computer-assisted vs. self-managed). In the computer-assisted condition, besides the lecture delivered four hours per week and for three months in total, students took a set of assignments based on evidence-based teaching in a computer-based environment. The control group, however, took these assignments as in-and-out class activities without using a computer environment. An assessment based on Bloom’s taxonomy was utilized to obtain metacognitive and competency scores for both groups. The results of the study showed that the students who completed the structured learning assignments as computer-based, self-learning environment showed better metacognition performance than those in the self-managed group, who did not engage with the online platform, even though there was no significant difference between the groups regarding competence on the course’s learning objectives. The current experiment offers an empirical validation for why instructors should use technology as a self-regulatory tool that enhances students’ metacognitive performance and competence of learning outcomes.
Keywords: Metacognition, University teaching, Self-regulation in learning, Computer-based learning
Research Article
Harun Cigdem
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 6, Issue 1, pp. 19-37
ABSTRACT
This study focuses on learners’ self-regulation which is one of the essential skills for student achievement in blended courses. Research on learners’ self-regulation skills in blended learning environments has gained popularity in recent years however only a few studies investigating the correlation between self-regulation skills and student achievement in blended learning environments exist. Self-regulation is related to self-efficacy, anxiety, interactivity, satisfaction with and usefulness of the system. Self-regulated learners are more likely to accomplish at online learning. In this study, a total of 267 military vocational college students were taught computer programming during a 15-week-long semester in a blended learning context, which involved using both face to face teaching and online learning through MOODLE over intranet. Participants were the graduates of vocational high schools and the students at the departments of Computer Technologies and Electronics & Communication Technologies and were all male. Liaw and Huang’s Self-Regulation Scale with six subscales was used to collect the data during the last two weeks of instruction. Regression analyses were conducted to analyze the data. The results revealed that self-regulation was affected by perceived anxiety, interactivity in the online learning environment, and perceived self-efficacy. Learners’ academic achievement has been affected only by perceived self-efficacy
Keywords: Blended learning, Computer programming course, Course achievement, Interactivity, Self-regulation, Perceived self-efficacy