• Home
02/09/2025

Self-regulation of pre-service and in-service schoolteachers' learning

Imatge d'una classe d'universitat amb la professora i l'alumnat

A study coordinated by the UAB has delved into the understanding of the processes of self-regulation of learning developed by pre-service and in-service schoolteachers. The results analyze the course of this process from initial teacher education to professional practice and highlight the benefits for professional competencies, as well as for social relationships and collaboration among teachers.

iStock/Caiaimage/Chris Ryan

Self-regulation of learning is an important process for teachers' academic and professional development. This process involves self-generated thoughts, feelings, and actions that are systematically planned and adjusted to achieve desired purposes. The main components of self-regulation include cognitive, metacognitive, and motivational elements, and is conveyed through the phases of planning, execution/monitoring, task control, and reflection. Planning incorporates task analysis, goal setting, and defining mechanisms for achieving goals. Execution involves examining tasks, engaging in activities, and monitoring their completion. Control involves the adoption of strategies necessary to respond to the task, and reflection involves the evaluation of task implementation and the systematic verification of what is being done to learn.

The study carried out has delved into the understanding of the processes of self-regulation of learning developed by pre-service and in-service schoolteachers’, as part of their professional competences and has been developed within the framework of the project entitled Self-assessment strategies for self-regulation of learning and teacher professional development, funded by AGAUR in the ARMIF call (ref 2017ARMIF00006). The project was coordinated by UAB and implemented by a team of teachers from 3 Catalan universities (UAB, UB, and UdL) and 6 primary schools.  Using a qualitative methodology, semi-structured interviews were conducted with pre-service and in-service schoolteachers, addressing aspects related to planning, monitoring, and reflection on their own learning and professional development processes. The results show that self-regulation of learning is a competence that begins to develop during initial training and is continuously developed during professional practice. Trainee teachers tend to use concept maps, task lists, and schemes to organise. Practising teachers use programming rubrics, classroom diaries, and work in parallel with other teachers to plan teaching activities in a coherent way.

Motivation is a determining factor in all phases of self-regulation of learning. Trainee teachers are motivated through relationships with peers and teachers, while practising teachers are motivated by the results of their students and collaboration with other teachers. Reflection on tasks performed is a common strategy in self-evaluation for both pre-service and in-service teachers. The study concludes that the development of self-regulation of learning improves teachers' professional practice. Self-regulation of learning needs to be incorporated into teacher education curricula and school strategic plans. Self-regulation of learning not only helps teachers to improve their professional competencies but also promotes social relations and collaboration between teachers.

Pre-service and in-service schoolteachers benefit from self-regulation of learning in several ways. For pre-service teachers, self-regulation of learning helps them to develop planning and organisational skills, as well as to become more aware of their own learning needs. For in-service teachers, self-regulation of learning facilitates reflection on their teaching practice and helps them to identify areas for improvement. Finally, self-regulation of learning has a positive impact on collaboration among teachers, sharing experiences and strategies among peers and providing mutual support to achieve common educational goals.

José Luís Muñoz Moreno, David Rodríguez-Gómez, Georgeta Ion

Department of Applied Pedagogy

CRiEDO Centre de Recerca i Estudis pel Desenvolupament Organitzatiu

Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

 

Òscar Flores-Alarcia

Department of Educational Sciences

Equip de Desenvolupament Organitzacional

Universitat de Lleida

References

Rodríguez-Gómez, D.; Flores Alarcia, Ò.; Muñoz Moreno, J. L., & Ion, G. (2025). Ascendiendo a través del aprendizaje autorregulado (AAR): un análisis comparativo de los procesos de AAR entre maestros en formación y maestros en ejercicio. Revista Interuniversitaria De Formación Del Profesorado, 100(39.1), 161–180. https://doi.org/10.47553/rifop.v100i39.1.99650

 
View low-bandwidth version