The Influence of Culture on the Development and Organisation of Self-Regulated Learning Skills

Abstract

Self-regulated Learning (SRL) skills have been argued to be among the most important determinants of academic achievement. It has been observed that some cultural groups consistently exhibit higher achievement and cultural variation in SRL skills has also been observed. Understanding this variation could provide insight into how to promote SRL development in all children.

This research examined how components of SRL are influenced by cultural variables, by testing models for individualist vs collectivist contexts, utilising constructs from the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) to capture predicted differences in the motivational components.

70 children (35 each from White British [individualist] and Chinese [collectivist] backgrounds) aged between 8 and 11 years, were drawn from UK primary schools.

Data were collected through on-task observation, task-related interview, and self-report questionnaire. Cross-sectional and correlational analyses examined relationships between these components, and whether cross-component influences differed according to cultural background.

The principal finding was that culture impacts on the nature and operation of the motivational components of SRL, not the cognitive ones, with White British children exhibiting motivation based on personal experience and attitude; while Chinese children were motivated more by family expectations. These differences fed through to on-task effort and performance.

The findings provide an impetus to cross-cultural research in SRL development by providing a model (SRL+TPB) that operationalises the interaction of cultural influences with SRL; and point to ways in which classroom interventions might utilise the patterns of effects observed.