The influence of self-regulated learning and age on success in studying

Marko Radovan

Summary:   We studied the characteristics of the self-regulated learning processes of part-time students and their influence on those students’ study success (defined by the number of exams passed, exam re-sits and average exam grade). The work is based on a socio-cognitive model of motivation and selfregulated learning (Pintrich 2004), which envisages the interaction of goal orientations, interests, valuing learning materials and self-efficacy with cognitive and metacognitive learning strategies. We measured self-regulated learning using the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ), which was completed by 516 part-time students aged from 20 to 49. The results showed that older students more often used both cognitive and metacognitive learning strategies and that the use of these strategies is primarily connected with self-efficacy, valuing the learning material and setting intrinsic goals. Among factors that influence study achievements, self-efficacy, effort regulation strategies and the age of students are most prominent.