Meijs Celeste, Gijselaers Hieronymus J M, Xu Kate M, Kirschner Paul A, De Groot Renate H M
Faculty of Educational Sciences, Open University of the Netherlands, Heerlen, Netherlands.
Thomas More University of Applied Sciences, Mechelen, Belgium.
Front Psychol. 2021 May 4;12:641972. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.641972. eCollection 2021.
While executive functions (EFs) and self-regulated learning (SRL) strategy use have been found to be related in several populations, this relationship has not been studied in adult online distance education (ODE). This is surprising as self-regulation, and thus using such strategies, is very important here. In this setting, we studied the relation between basic executive functions (i.e., working memory and shifting, measured with cognitive tests) and reported SRL-strategy use (i.e., management of time and effort, complex and simple cognitive strategy use, contacts with others, and academic thinking) within a correlational design with 889 adult online distance students. In this study, we performed regression analyses and took age and processing speed into consideration, as processing speed and EFs decrease with age, whereas self-regulation is reported to increase with age. Cognitively measured working memory was not related to reported SRL-strategy use in adult ODE students. Thus, even though the SRL-components within the strategies seem to elicit working memory, reported SRL-strategy use is not related to the functioning of this basic EF (measured with cognitive tests). This means that if SRL-strategy use needs to be increased in adult ODE students, training of working memory might not be an effective manner for achieving that goal. Better shifting and processing speed were related to less reported SRL-strategy use, which might suggest that SRL-strategies might be used to compensate for lower shifting (in academic thinking) and lower processing speed (in simple cognitive strategy use and contacts with others). With increasing age, the number of contacts with peers or teachers decreases. This latter finding might be of relevance during the pandemic since contacts with others is importance during lockdown.
虽然执行功能（EFs）与自我调节学习（SRL）策略的使用在多个人群中被发现存在关联，但这种关系在成人在线远程教育（ODE）中尚未得到研究。这令人惊讶，因为自我调节以及使用此类策略在此处非常重要。在这种背景下，我们在一项相关设计中研究了889名成人在线远程学生的基本执行功能（即通过认知测试测量的工作记忆和转换能力）与报告的SRL策略使用情况（即时间和精力管理、复杂和简单认知策略的使用、与他人的联系以及学术思维）之间的关系。在本研究中，我们进行了回归分析，并考虑了年龄和处理速度，因为处理速度和执行功能会随着年龄增长而下降，而自我调节据报道会随着年龄增长而增加。在成人ODE学生中，通过认知测量的工作记忆与报告的SRL策略使用无关。因此，即使策略中的SRL成分似乎会引发工作记忆，但报告的SRL策略使用与这种基本执行功能的运作（通过认知测试测量）无关。这意味着，如果需要提高成人ODE学生的SRL策略使用，训练工作记忆可能不是实现该目标的有效方式。更好的转换能力和处理速度与报告的较少SRL策略使用相关，这可能表明SRL策略可能被用于弥补较低的转换能力（在学术思维方面）和较低的处理速度（在简单认知策略使用和与他人联系方面）。随着年龄的增长，与同龄人或教师的联系次数会减少。后一个发现可能在疫情期间具有相关性，因为在封锁期间与他人的联系很重要。
