Self-regulatory efficacy and mindset of at-risk students: An exploratory study

Abstract

There is a limited body of research examining how students' beliefs about intelligence and about their abilities relate to different learning environments. As reported here, I examined secondary school students' beliefs, goals, and expectations guided by Zimmerman's (2000) model of self-regulated learning. In this exploratory study, 230 secondary school students reported on their beliefs about learning and intelligence, as well as on their confidence in their self-regulatory abilities. I made comparisons between groups of students on beliefs, goals, and expectations based on their school stream, achievement, learning disability status, and gender. Both self-regulatory efficacy and reading mindset were significantly different for students based on their school stream and their achievement level. The findings of this exploratory study suggest a need for further research that focuses directly on whether at-risk students demonstrate maladaptive motivation and specifically on their beliefs, goals, and expectations of themselves as learners.