For unto every one that hath shall be given: teachers’ competence profiles regarding the promotion of self-regulated learning moderate the effectiveness of short-term teacher training

Abstract

Teachers play a major role in the effectiveness of student learning. Teacher’s competence contributes to their classroom practice. We applied a generic model of teacher competence to the specific context of teachers’ promotion of self-regulated learning (SRL) in the classroom, and investigated teachers’ competence profiles regarding SRL (study 1) and how teachers’ competence can moderate the effectiveness of teacher training (study 2). In the first step, in study 1 191 teachers were assessed according to different characteristics that have been found to be important aspects of teacher competence (knowledge, beliefs, and self-efficacy). To investigate how these characteristics co-occur in teachers we determined latent profiles of teacher competence regarding SRL. To this end, and the data were subjected to a latent profile analysis that yielded two levels of competence profile: low and high competence to promote SRL. These competence profiles were positively associated with teachers’ self-reported SRL practice in the classroom. Next, to test whether these competence profiles affect teachers’ competence development, we conducted a training study. In this study 2, we examined the effects of an 8-h long teacher training about SRL on the development of teachers’ competence (knowledge, beliefs, self-efficacy) and on their SRL practice in the classroom with a repeated measures control group design. Forty-five teachers participated in the training, and these teachers and their 543 students evaluated the effectiveness of the training. Training effects were found on the teacher level, but not on the student level. Teachers who participated in the training outperformed the control teachers in their development of self-efficacy to foster SRL, and their perceived SRL practice. Moreover, teachers’ competence profiles moderated the training effect, showing that teachers with an initially high competence benefitted more from the training. Applying a generic model of teacher competence to the context of promoting SRL seems beneficial to inspire future research on indicators of teachers’ SRL practice.

Teacher support for metacognition and self-regulated learning: a compelling story and a prototypical model

“…Whether and how Avery's teacher notices an opportunity to engage SRT, and also whether and how they actually engage in such instruction, depend upon a number of factors. These factors include teachers' professional vision (Michalsky, in press), their competence (Dignath, 2021), their knowledge and beliefs about learning and SRL (Dignath, 2021;Vosniadou et al, 2021), their SRL and SRT knowledge and skill (Vosniadou et al, 2021), their proclivity to instruct SRL in a direct or indirect manner (Dignath, 2021;Michalsky, in press;van Loon et al, in press), the kinds of training and professional development they have received (Dignath, 2021;van Loon et al, in press), and whether the school climate and context provides resources, time, and support for teaching SRL (Dignath & Mevarech, 2021). Preparing Avery's teacher for this moment, to engage effectively in SRT, requires a better understanding of each of these factors, which the authors of the articles in this special issue pursued.…”

“…Models of teacher competence include not only professional vision but also teachers' knowledge, beliefs, and performance (Dignath, 2021;Meschede et al, 2017). Teachers' professional vision serves as a mediator between their professional knowledge and beliefs and their classroom performance.…”

“…Likewise, teachers must possess knowledge that productively complements these availing beliefs, such as how to help students manage and integrate their cognition, motivation, and emotions to learn most effectively (Brackett et al, 2019). As Dignath (2021) showed, it is important to include knowledge and beliefs about SRL (i.e., teacher self-efficacy for instructing SRL) as aspects of teacher competence. Again, one of the many important contributions of this special issue is the widening of ideas about the foci of education to include SRL and then tracking the implications of that for ideas such as professional vision and teacher competence.…”

“…Teacher knowledge and beliefs about learning and SRL Dignath (2021) and Vosniadou and colleagues (2021) concurred that there are numerous beliefs and types of prior knowledge that are necessary for teacher competence, particularly in terms of instructing and supporting SRL. Teacher knowledge spanned ideas about the roles of cognition, motivation, and affect in learning whereas the beliefs included viewing learning as a constructive act as well as a belief in the importance of SRL in academic achievement.…”

“…The knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to enact this dual-role are not any more intuitive or innate than SRL itself, rather teachers must be taught how to enact SRL and SRT, ideally before they enter the classroom (Dignath & Mevarech, 2021;Michalsky, in press;van Loon et al, in press). Unfortunately, as Dignath (2021;Dignath & Veenman, 2021) and others (e.g., Kramarski, 2018) have shown, teachers often have insufficient preparation in SRT, which in turn leads to uneven SRL instruction in the classroom, if it occurs at all. Therefore, much more research is needed to explore what kinds of teacher SRL and SRT occurs in classrooms and to provide the supports necessary to help educators more effectively teach students to enact their own SRL.…”