| dc.description.abstract | The aim of this study was to analyse the determinants of self-regulated learning abilities Of students from an environmentally-deprived community, and to determine the relationship between self-regulated learning and academic achievement of the above mentioned students in English and maths. To achieve this aim, a literature research was undertaken to analyse the influence of
Personal, environmental and behavioural variables on self-regulated learning and academic achievement in English and maths of students from an environmentally deprived community. From the review of the literature, it was concluded that there is a
relationship between personal variables, self-regulated learning and academic
achievement as self-regulated learners are persons who plan, set goals, organise, self-instruct, self-monitor, and self-evaluate at various stages during the process of learning. Self-regulated learners perceive themselves as competent, self-efficacious and autonomous. They are self-starters who display an extraordinary amount of effort and persistence during the learning process.
With reference to the relationship between environmental variables, self-regulates learning and academic achievement, the literature review revealed that family variables (i.e., family size, sibsize, birth order and the spacing between siblings) and school variables such as school size and class size influence academic achievement. In a small
family, parents have more time to attend 10 their children and their cognitive development, by teaching them language (i.e. mother tongue), answering questions and supporting them. In contrast, large families provide positive opportunities for
interpersonal relationships that are not available in small families, whereby an individual child can easily interact with older members who all serve as sources of intellectual stimulation On the basis of the review of literature, it was also concluded that there is a relationship between behavioural variables, self-regulated learning and academic achievement. It was inferred that self-regulated students select, structure and create environments that optimise' learning; they seek out advice and information; they self-instruct during
acquisition and self-reinforce during performance enactments. They also use various strategies that influence their academic achievement. By means of an experimental investigation, three hypotheses concerning the relationship between personal. environmental and behavioural variables, self-regulated learning, and
academic achievement in English and maths were respectively set. By means of multiple regression analyses and ANOVA, it was determined that there is a statistically
significant relationship between personal variables such as a students' attitude towards school and intrinsic value towards learning and learning strategies such as
selecting main ideas, concentration, study aids, strategy use and self-regulated learning. Students who are more self-regulated, have a more positive altitude, have a higher intrinsic value and are more adapted at selecting main ideas, concentration etc., than students who are less self-regulated. These differences are of little educational value except for strategy use where the difference is of great educational or practical significance. There is a statistically significant relationship between personal variables such as a students' motivation for succeeding in school and an intrinsic interest in studying, environmental variables such as students' high socio-economic status families and learning strategies such as concentration, strategy use and self-regulated learning and academic achievement in English. Students who perform at a high level of academic achievement, maintain a high concentration and are more adapted at strategy use than
students who perform at a low level of academic achievement. These differences are of little educational value except for strategy use where the difference is of great educational or practical significance; and there is a statistically significant relationship
between personal variables such as a students' age in school and self-efficacy for
academic achievement, environmental variables such as the socio-economic status of students’ families and living space and between learning strategies such as self-regulated learning and academic achievement in maths. Students who are from low socio-economic status families and have less living space are more self-regulated and more adapted to strategy use than students from high socio-economic status families and those who have enough living space. The differences are of little educational value except for strategy use where the difference is of great educational or practical significance. In conclusion, it seems that although there are personal, environmental and behavioural variables that contribute significantly to either self-regulated learning or academic achievement in English and maths and that there are differences between students that are more self-regulated and students that arc less self-regulated and between high and low achievers. these differences are not of much educational significance except for strategy use. Students who are more self-regulated are better strategy users than less self-regulated students. It therefore may be of value to train students to be better strategy users. | en_US |
