Self-regulated learning and students' metacognitive feelings in physical education

The aim of this study was to examine students' self-regulated learning and metacognitive feelings regarding a sport skill in elementary physical education. Participants were 88 fifth- and sixth-grade students who were assigned to four groups and practised basketball shooting at different levels of self-regulated learning (i.e. observation, emulation, self-control, and self-regulation). Students were pre- and post-tested in basketball shooting performance and their knowledge regarding technical aspects of the basketball shooting. They also reported their metacognitive feelings of effort, difficulty, and correctness regarding basketball shooting before and after the practice. Results showed that students who experienced both observational learning and emulative practice (i.e. practice with social feedback) improved their knowledge regarding technical aspects of the basketball shooting. However, no differences were found among groups in basketball shooting performance. Moreover, students' post-test basketball shooting performance was negatively correlated with students' feelings of difficulty and positively correlated with students' feelings of correctness. Results are discussed with reference to social cognitive models of self-regulated learning. The role of metacogitive feelings in the process of self-regulated learning of a sport skill is also discussed.