Abstract

The goal of this study is to integrate technology and inquiry-based learning in secondary classrooms to assist students build their knowledge and self-regulated learning. A challenging instructional approach was designed, implemented and evaluated with secondary education students. Specific scaffolds were provided to guide students in complex tasks and to provide supports to regulate students’ learning. All activities were designed keeping in mind the WebQuest structure but also including the circular notion of inquiry process presented by Lim (2004): Ask, Plan, Know, Explore, Construct, Reflect.

Specific scaffolds to enhance self-regulation learning were designed focused in the next self-regulation processes: orientation, steering, monitoring and testing process. These scaffolds were provided through questions, short messages, pieces of advice,...

We designed a two-year long study to investigate how self-regulation process can be enhanced in secondary education. 127 students participated in the study, but for the purposes of this research a sample of six students were randomly selected for a qualitative analysis, to answer the next research questions:
Which self-regulation processes are developed by students after the participation in the instructional process?
Are there relationships between the development of self-regulation processes and quality of the students’ web performance?

Students solved pre-test and post-test activities. Screen cam software recorded experimental and control students’ computer actions while solving the activities. A coding scheme was designed to analyze the development of self-regulation students’ computer actions.

Experimental students showed deeper orientation, steering and monitoring processes while solving the web-based activities. Besides, we found a strong relationship between the development of self-regulation processes and quality of students’ web performance. The most self-regulated students displayed better answers to the web-based activity questions.