Do Different Goal-Setting Conditions Facilitate Students Ability to Regulate Their Learning of Complex Science Topics with RiverWeb?
This study examined the role of different goal setting instructional interventions in facilitating high school students’ regulation of their conceptual understanding of ecological systems while using a Web-based water quality simulation environment. Building on the information processing theory of self-regulated learning (SRL) of P. Winne and colleagues, the study examined: (1) students’ self-regulation; (2) co-regulation; and (3) the role of the teacher as an external regulator during a knowledge construction activity. Sixteen 11th and 12th graders were randomly assigned to one of two goal-setting instructional conditions (teacher-set goals (TSG)and learner generated sub-goals (LGSG)). Students used RiverWeb ™, the simulation, collaboratively during a 3-week curriculum on environmental science. The students’ emerging understanding was assessed using their pretest and posttest scores, and was also assessed through an analysis of their discourse during several collaborative problem-s
