The development of self-regulated learning by selected secondary school teachers in KwaZulu-Natal

Abstract

The province of KwaZulu- Natal (KZN) South Africa exhibits a myriad of cultural and contextual factors that impact the learning abilities and academic performance of learners in KZN schools. The National Senior Certificate (NSC) examination results indicate that KZN is among the underperforming provinces in South Africa. The study explored how quintile 4 and 5 secondary school teachers’ self-directed learning (SDL) influenced the development of self-regulated learning (SRL) in their learners. The purpose was to gain an understanding of the factors that contribute to the poor performance of some schools in the KZN province. The study was underpinned by the Social Cognitive Theory as the theoretical framework that explained the influence of behavioural, personal, and environmental determinants on learners’ self-regulated learning development. The study applied two theoretical frameworks in order to conceptualise how secondary school teachers developed self-regulated learning, (or not), by modelling their self-directed learning. The worldview underpinning the study was the interpretivist paradigm, deemed suitable for gaining an understanding of how teachers make meaning of self-regulated learning and self-directed learning situations. The qualitative approach was used. The design used was the explorative case study, consistent with the explorative nature of this study, seeking to learn from the pedagogical experiences and expertise of the study’s participants. Data collection was through paper-based open-ended questionnaires and two telephonic interviews. The two sampling methods used in the study were purposive and convenience sampling. Secondary school teachers were purposively selected on account of having knowledge about themselves, their perceptions, beliefs, and experiences, pertaining to their self-directed learning, and how their self-directed learning enabled them to develop self-regulated learning skills in their learners. Convenience sampling was used to select the participants in close proximity for easy access. Research sites were four secondary schools in the iLembe district of the KZN province (three quintile 4 schools and one quintile 5 school). A key finding was that when teachers are aware of the roles they play in the development of self-regulated learning skills among their learners, they become more confident in developing the same among their learners. However, some teachers’ lacked the confidence in developing self-regulated learning skills among their learners. Another finding was that several teachers used effective methods in keeping their learners motivated and interested in tasks, by providing various task strategies, ideas of planning and setting goals, and models of meta-cognitive monitoring. However, teachers experienced several contextual factors that hampered the development of self-regulated learning skills among their learners. These included language barriers, lack of

resources in schools, high enrollment of learners, socio-economic issues, and lack of parental support. Some key recommendations included more involvement by Higher Education Institutions (HEI) in offering informative modules or courses pertaining to self-regulated learning, active involvement by the Department of Education (DoE) in offering workshops to train teachers on developing self-regulated learning skills, and parental involvement in guiding children through the self-regulated learning processes.