Tracking patterns in self-regulated learning using students' self-reports and online trace data

• Published in: Frontline learning research 2020, Vol.8 (3), p.140-163
• Main Authors: Halem, Nicolette Van, Klaveren, Chris Van, Drachsler, Hendrik, Schmitz, Marcel, Cornelisz, Ilja
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: College Students; Comparative Analysis; Computer Software; Data Analysis; Daten; E-Learning; Ereignis; Foreign Countries; Grades (Scholastic); Independent Study; Instructional Design; Komplementarität; Learning Motivation; Learning Processes; Learning Strategies; Lernen; Lernverhalten; Management Systems; Measurement Techniques; Messung; Metacognition; Methode; Motivation; Online; Online Courses; Questionnaires; Required Courses; Selbstbeobachtung; Selbstgesteuertes Lernen; Self Efficacy; Statistics; Strategie; Student; Student Attitudes; Student Behavior; Study Habits; Varianz; Verhaltensmuster
• ISSN: 2295-3159; 2295-3159
• DOI: 10.14786/flr.v8i3.497

For decades, self-report instruments - which rely heavily on students' perceptions and beliefs - have been the dominant way of measuring motivation and strategy use. An event-based measure based on online trace data arguably has the potential to remove analytical restrictions of self-report measures. The purpose of this study is therefore to triangulate constructs suggested in theory and measured using self-reported data with revealed online traces of learning behaviour. The results show that online trace data of learning behaviour are complementary to self-reports, as they explained a unique proportion of variance in student academic performance and reveal that self-reports explain more variance in online learning behaviour of prior weeks than variance in learning behaviour in succeeding weeks. Student motivation is, however, to a lesser extent captured with online trace data, likely because of its covert nature. In that respect, it is of importance to recognize the crucial role of self-reports in capturing student learning holistically. This manuscript is 'frontline' in the sense that event-based measurement methodologies using online trace data are relatively unexplored. The comparison with self-report data made in this manuscript sheds new light on the added value of innovative and traditional methods of measuring motivation and strategy use. (DIPF/Orig.)