Self-Regulation:

Where
Metacognition
and
Motivation
Intersect -Barry J. Zimmerman and
Adam R. Moylan
Forethought Phase

Task Analysis Processes decomposing a learning task and

its context into constituent elements, and constructing a
personal strategy from prior knowledge of these elements eg.
Breaking a math problem into sequential steps
o Setting goals:
specifying the outcomes that one
expects to attain e.g solving a page of decimal problems
during a one-hour study session
o Strategic
planning:
Choosing
or
constructing
advantageous learning methods that are appropriate for
the task and environmental setting
Sources of self-motivation They are directly linked to goal
setting and strategic planning
o Self-efficacy: beliefs about ones capabilities to learn or
perform at designated levels
o Outcomes expectations: beliefs about the ultimate end
of ones performance eg receiving social recognition or
obtaining a desirable employment position.
o Task/Intrinsic Interest or valuing: refers to ones liking
or disliking a task because of its inherent properties rather
than for its instrumental qualities in gaining other
outcomes. Deci calls it intrinsic motivation
o Learning goal orientation: their beliefs or feelings
about the purpose of learning. They seek to improve their
competence via learning
Performance goal orientation: seek to protect
their competence perceptions via favorable
comparisons with the performance of others.

Performance Phase

Self Control: use of task specific and general strategies

o self-instruction: overt or covert descriptions of how to
proceed as one executes a task eg. self- questioning as
one reads textual material. Related to verbalization.

o Imagery: forming mental pictures to assist learning and

retention eg. converting textual information into visual
tree diagrams, flow charts, and concept webs
o time management: strategies for accomplishing
learning tasks on schedule eg. setting specific task goals,
estimating time requirements for those tasks, and
monitoring progress in attaining those goals.
o environmental
structuring:
increasing
the
effectiveness of ones immediate environments, such as
using a computer to write an essay because the word
processing program provides feedback regarding spelling
and grammar. Help-seeking
o help-seeking methods: soliciting assistance when
learning or performing, such as seeking out a tennis
coach to assist one to master the service motion.
These enhance more motivation than metacognitive
process
o interest incentives: seeks to render mundane tasks
more attractive by increasing game-like qualities, such as
competing with a classmate in recalling foreign language
words.
o self-consequences: setting rewarding or punishing
contingencies for oneself, such as putting off the task of
answering email messages until after completing a
homework reading assignment in chemistry
Self observation: self control ones performance
o Metacognitive monitoring/self-monitoring: informal
mental tracking of ones performance processes and
outcomes, such as ones learning processes and their
effectiveness in producing learning.
o self-recording: creating formal records of learning
processes or outcomes, such as a graph of a students
spelling errors in his or her written assignments.

Self- Reflection Phase

Self Judgement
o Self evaluation: A comparison comparisons of ones
performance with a standard. Three types of evaluative
standards (Bandura)
prior levels of performance
mastery of all components of a skill
social comparisons with the performance of others,
such as siblings, peers, and classmates
o Casual
Attributions:
beliefs about the causal
implications of personal outcomes, such as ones fixed
ability, effort, and use of strategies.

Self Reactions
o Self-satisfaction: cognitive and affective reactions to
ones self-judgments.
o Adaptive/Defensive Decisions: students willingness to
engage in further cycles of learning by continuing their
use of a strategy or by modifying it