The relationship between self-regulated learning behaviors and academic performance in web-based courses

Abstract

This study investigated self-regulated learning behaviors and their relationships with academic performance in web-based courses. The participants (n = 106) were distance learners taking humanities and technical coursed offered by a community college in Virginia. Data was collected using 28 items from the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire and 5 demographically related items. Data analysis included factor analyses, multivariate analysis of variance, and regression analyses. The employment of self-regulated learning behaviors differed between humanities and technical courses (p = .0138). Time and study environment management (p = .0009) and intrinsic goal orientation (p = .0373) categories reported significant findings in their relationship to academic performance. The factors affiliated with time and study environment management and intrinsic goal orientation were used as predictors in the development of a mathematical formula used to predict academic success in a web-based course. These predictors explain 21 percent of the variance in the academic success rating calculated using the mathematical formula developed from this study.