Training strategies for self-regulating motivation and volition: effect on Learning

The objective of this work is to determine the relative and combined effect on self-regulation and learning of teaching students two kinds of self-regulation strategies, the first centered on motivation, and the second on negative emotions that obstruct volitional processes. Two guides with instructions and commentaries that the teacher should give to students before, during and after learning tasks were developed. The learning tasks were also of two kinds, academic" writing composition- and non-academic learning to solve problems of the Tangram, a Chinese puzzle-. A total of 178 High School students, 16 to 19 years old (Mean: 16.7) participated in the study. Results of ANOVAs showed that the efficacy of each kind of training varies depending on the dependent variable, though in general-emotional self-regulation training was superior. Theoretical and practical implications of these results are commented.