Ability theories of self-regulated learning: the importance of implicit theories and ability self-concept for learning and academic performance

Abstract

Ability theories regarding the changeability (implicit theories) and the level of abilities (ability self-concept) influence learning behavior, the experience of learning and performance situations in many ways. To date, there is a lack of comprehensive study results on ability theories of self-regulated learning (SRL). This study takes a closer look at implicit theories of SRL and the ability self-concept in SRL. Based on a sample of N = 244 junior high school students (M = 14.57 years), we examined the extent to which implicit theories of SRL and ability self-concept in SRL are related to different variables of SRL (self-motivation, metacognitive awareness, strategy knowledge), to different school challenges (performance pressure, overload, strain), and achievement. The results of the latent mediation analyses indicate direct positive correlations between the implicit theories of SRL and strategy knowledge and between ability self-concept in SRL and self-motivation and metacognitive awareness. Direct correlations were shown between ability self-concept in SRL and performance pressure, overload, and strain, but not for the implicit theories of SRL. Finally, the results revealed that both ability theories on SRL are relevant to academic performance. Overall, the study results indicate that the implicit theories of SRL and the ability self-concept in SRL could provide explanations for how students learn and thus achieve lower or greater academic learning success.