New trends have arisen in English as foreign language (EFL) teaching proving the necessity of being self-regulated learners to take the responsibility of learning. Self-regulated learning strategies, in essence, are goal setting, circumstantial structuring, self-reinforcement, and self-evaluation that allow learners to take the initiative in learning. Many studies have investigated the role of self-regulated learning strategies in different fields of education; however, the studies examining the use of self-regulated learning strategies in EFL have remained limited. The present study, therefore, has aimed to address this scarcity labeling the views of high school students regarding the use of those strategies in EFL learning. Interviews were conducted with a total of 15 students attending a private high school chosen voluntarily. In line with the aim of the study the research questions were formed as follows:
1-What does self-regulated learning mean to high school students?
2-What kind of self-regulated learning strategies do the participants use in language learning?
3-How does the use of those strategies affect language learning?
A semi structured interview form was employed to collect the data. The participants were selected from third graders to prove a general perspective of high school students. The data were analyzed through qualitative content analysis. The findings specified that most of the participants were aware of self-regulated learning although they could not know the name of the theory. It is reported that they used self-regulated learning strategies consistent with their needs. The majority of the participants mostly preferred goal setting and self-reinforcement strategies which affected their learning positively. This research, therefore, supported the conclusion that high school students’ use of self-regulated learning strategies has the potential to promote productive language learning. It is expected that this study will contribute positively to the growing understanding of self-regulated language learning.
Anahtar Kelimeler: Self-regulated Learning, EFL, Self-regulated Learning Strategies
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