AN INVESTIGATION INTO METACOGNITIVE AND MOTIVATIONAL DETERMINANTS OF SELF-REGULATED LEARNING AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Abstract

Self-regulated learning is one of the most important constructs within the field of higher education that refers to the processes of planning, monitoring and evaluation of one's academic behavior under limited guidance from external sources. Even though there is an extensive amount of research dedicated to the topic, the contributions of the metacognitive factors (cognition knowledge, cognition regulation) and motivational factors (self-efficacy, task value, goal orientation, motivational regulation) to self-regulation of university students are partially reconciled. This paper is a summary of the theoretical and empirical research related to these two clusters of determinants. The paper integrates the findings of numerous meta-analyses and primary research works conducted throughout three decades into a conceptual model explaining the relationship between the metacognitive and motivational factors and self-regulated learning with further consequences for the academic achievements. A systematic search procedure and quantitative synthesis were applied in order to select twenty-one core references dedicated to metacognition, motivational beliefs and their effects on self-regulation in the higher-education settings, including online and blended learning. An analysis of the coded literature reveals that motivational constructs, especially academic self-efficacy, have stronger weighted correlations with academic performance measures than individual metacognitive strategies, while metacognitive regulation moderates the use of motivational resources in developing study behaviors. Conclusions on implications for instructional design, academic advising, and digital learning interventions are made, along with considerations related to the cross-sectional nature and reliance on secondary sources in much of the evidence reviewed.