The impact of reflective learning on EFL learners’ self-regulation: A mixed methods study
Subject Areas : Curriculum Design and DevelopmentSalman Asshabi 1 , Mojgan Rashtchi 2 , Masood Siyyari 3
1 - Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Foreign Languages, Faculty of Literature, Humanities and Social Sciences; Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
2 - TEFL Department, Faculty of Foreign Languages, North Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
3 - Department of Foreign Languages, Faculty of Literature, Humanities and Social Sciences; Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
Keywords: Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle, Reflective Learning, Self-regulation,
Abstract :
Self-regulation equips learners with the expertise to continue and improve their studies throughout their life span. The current study investigated the impact of reflective learning using Kolb’s cyclical stages on EFL learners’ self-regulation. The participants were 61 Iranian EFL learners from two intact university classes randomly assigned to the Reflective (n=30) and Non-reflective (n=31) groups. During an eight-week instruction, the Reflective group experienced reflective practices, and the Non-reflective group was exposed to traditional teaching. The data were collected through Seker’s (2016) Self-Regulated Questionnaire, administered before and after the treatment and participants’ think-aloud protocols. The quantitative data analysis using ANCOVA and MANOVA revealed that the Reflective group significantly outperformed the Non-reflective group in all self-regulated learning components except for external and metacognitive self-regulation subscales. The protocol data analysis substantiated the quantitative findings, indicating that reflective learning significantly improved learners’ self-regulated skills. The results offer significant implications for language instructors and language learners.
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