Self-regulation is the process by which individuals monitor, control, and reflect on their learning. Self-regulated students have motivational, metacognitive, affective, and behavioral characteristics that enhance their learning. As the importance of self-regulated learning is well acknowledged by research nowadays, the aim of this study is to examine the effectiveness of an innovative course designed to promote self-regulated learning among Brazilian preservice student teachers. The innovative approach was developed in the format of a program of intervention based heavily on self-reflection. The content involved student exposure to self-reflexive activities, lectures on the self-regulated learning framework, and theoretical tasks aimed at fostering self-regulation of students in a double perspective: as a student and as a future teacher. The efficacy of the approach was tested by comparison with both the results of students who had taken a course with theoretical content only and those who had not taken any course at all. The sample consisted of 109 students in 4 different freshman classes in a Teacher Education Program in a Brazilian public university in an inner city in the state of São Paulo. The research was conducted using a quasi-experimental design with three stages: pretest, intervention, and posttest. The classes were randomly assigned to experimental and control conditions as follows: an experimental group involving intervention, an experimental group exposed to theory, and two control groups not taking the course. Before and after the intervention program, all the participants responded to the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory and the Self-efficacy for Self-regulated Learning scales. Overall, the results showed that the intervention program format had a positive impact in enhancing student self-regulation. Moreover, students in both the experimental groups reported both higher gains in self-efficacy for self-regulated learning scores and an increase in employment of learning strategies when compared to the control groups.

The relevance of self-regulated learning is well acknowledged by research, and converging evidence suggests that people can be taught self-regulatory skills, thus improving their behavior as learners. Researchers have recommended that educational psychology courses for preservice teachers should help future teachers become better learners as well as more effective teachers. An attempt was made to explore the challenge of creating an effective teaching approach to increase preservice teachers’ awareness of their personal learning. This idea was implemented in an educational psychology course for 26 Brazilian students in a teacher education program at a public university in the interior of the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The procedures employed to foster self-regulatory skills and the results obtained from the experience are discussed in this article. Data were collected on 2 occasions using a self-efficacy for self-regulated learning scale and a general self-reflective activity. A structured diary about the students’ learning experiences was also required. Results showed reported gains in self-regulatory skills, greater awareness of affective and motivational states, and an improvement in study practices. Findings are discussed in terms of both the importance of improving students’ self-regulatory skills and the implications that such an initiative may have for future teaching practices.

Estudos de Psicologia I Campinas I 32(3) I 417-425 I julho -setembro 2015 AbstractThe aim of the study was to investigate self-handicapping strategies applied by students in an academic context and to analyze the relationship between the use of these strategies and the students' gender, age and course year. The sample consisted of 164 students of both genders aged 18 to 48 years and enrolled in the second and fourth years of the undergraduate program in pedagogy at Brazilian public universities. The data were collected through open-ended questions and a self-reported Likert scale instrument. Students reported applying several self-handicapping strategies, such as procrastination and not reading the recommended texts. Young students and women reported a more frequent use of these strategies. The importance of identifying the self-handicapping behavior of college students is discussed in this article. Keywords

Resumo A autorregulação da aprendizagem é o processo pelo qual um aluno monitora e orienta o próprio aprendizado. Assim, por sua grande importância para uma aprendizagem de qualidade, o presente estudo teve o objetivo de investigar duas variáveis relacionadas à autorregulação: as atribuições de causalidade e o uso de estratégias autoprejudiciais. A amostra foi composta por 164 estudantes, de ambos os sexos, de 18 e 48 anos de idade, matriculados no 2º e 4º anos do curso de Pedagogia de universidades públicas brasileiras. A coleta de dados foi realizada por meio de duas escalas de autorrelato do tipo Likert. Os resultados indicaram que os alunos que atribuíram causas internas ao fracasso e causas externas ao sucesso foram aqueles que relataram maior frequência no uso de estratégias autoprejudiciais. Discute-se a necessidade de analisar as crenças atribucionais e o comportamento estratégico dos alunos universitários em situações de aprendizagem.

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