Self and social regulation of learning during collaborative activities in the classroom: The interplay of individual and group cognition

The purpose of the present research was to advance the development of knowledge regarding social aspects of self-regulated learning (SRL). The study had the objective of exploring the occurrence of self and social aspects of regulation during collaborative activities within regular primary science classes. Through a multiple case study approach, 8 children organised in two work groups were videotaped working in collaborative activities during one academic semester. The findings show a general increase of SRL activity within the groups during the semester, and positive relationships between focus of the activity and type of social regulation. The study sheds light on the advantages of combining analytical and holistic analysis when researching collaborative activities in the classroom. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

► Children's regulatory activity within the groups significantly improved during the semester.
► The group showing evidence of higher rates of SRL at individual level, presented also more shared regulation episodes.
► Shared regulation behaviours were significantly related to utterances related to fundamental science knowledge.