How Goal Orientations, Perceived Competence, and Strategy Training Affect College Students' Use of Self-Regulated Learning Strategies and Achievement in Learning Foreign Languages

• Other Authors: Xiao, Ling (authoraut)
• Format: Others
• Language: English; English
• Published: Florida State University
• Subjects: Educational psychology
• Online Access: http://purl.flvc.org/fsu/fd/FSU_migr_etd-0410

The purpose of this study was to examine how goal orientations, perceived competence, and strategy training affect college students' use of self-regulated learning strategies and achievement in learning foreign languages. One hundred seventeen undergraduates participated in the study. The students came from 8 introductory Arabic, Chinese, German, and Japanese classes, with 2 classes from each language. Students were categorized as either having task-involved goal orientation or ego-involved goal orientation. A median split method was used to categorize students into either with high perceived competence or with low perceived competence. One of the two classes of the same foreign language was randomly selected to receive self-regulated language learning strategy training. Students' use of self-regulated learning strategies was measured by a strategy inventory for foreign language learning. Students' achievement was measured by course-related tests. The results showed that students with task-involved goal orientation scored significantly higher than students with ego-involved goal orientation on self-regulated strategy use, but there was no significant difference in achievement. No interaction effect was found with student ego-involved goal orientation and perceived competence. The results showed no significant difference between students who received training and those who did not. The reasons for these findings were discussed. Implications of the findings as related to foreign language instruction were discussed. Implications for further research that might yield significant findings were also discussed. === A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. === Degree Awarded: Spring Semester, 2006. === Date of Defense: October 14, 2005. === Task-involved Goals, Self-regulation, Strategy Training, Ego-involved Goals, Goal Orientations, Motivation, Self-regulated Learning Strategy === Includes bibliographical references. === John Keller, Professor Directing Dissertation; Feng Lan, Outside Committee Member; Robert Reiser, Committee Member; Walt Wager, Committee Member.