Disciplinary and gender differences among higher education students in self‐regulated learning strategies

Abstract

This study explores how university students representing diverse disciplines and gender differ in their self‐regulation in learning. The definition of self‐regulated learning (SRL) in the present study is based on Pintrich’s and Zimmerman’s theories of SRL and comprises motivational and learning strategies. The sample consisted of 1248 undergraduate students at several Finnish universities. The data were retrieved from the IQ Learn online self‐assessment and tutoring system. Female students scored moderately higher than male students on help‐seeking strategies, utility value and on performance anxiety. Among the diverse disciplines, minor mean differences emerged on all the sub‐dimensions of SRL, though no clear regularity on any discipline’s favour was perceived. However, male and female students of behavioural sciences and female students of sciences scored highest consistently, and the technology students, especially the male students, scored lowest. In the future, the relations between the students’ self‐regulation in learning and instructional approach should be studied further.

Keywords:

• self‐regulation in learning
• self‐assessment
• higher education
• disciplinary differences
• gender differences

Acknowledgements

We gratefully thank Professor emeritus Erkki Komulainen for his valuable comments on the earlier drafts of this article. This study was supported by a grant from Emil Aaltonen foundation to Päivi Virtanen.