Practicing Self-Regulation of Cognition and Motivation during Problem Solving in Engineering and Mathematics

该项目旨在通过提高本科生解决工程和数学问题的能力来服务于国家利益。为此，该项目将更好地了解学生如何在解决困难的工程和数学问题的过程中自我调节他们的认知和动机。它还将支持教员采用促进自我管理的教学做法。自我调节包括使学生在从事学术活动时能够控制自己的思想和情绪的知识和技能。这个项目的重点是提高学生的自我调节的做法，在解决问题的活动，在两个必需的第二年工程和数学课程。在工程和数学中，问题往往有隐含的限制和要求，不容易被新手学生识别。 因此，需要进行研究，以了解工程和数学教师如何帮助学生发展和激活他们的能力，在解决问题的活动中自我调节。要成为有效的问题解决者，学生必须积极协调他们对手头任务的理解，他们的思想，以及整个解决问题活动的动机。这个为期三年的项目将推进工程和数学教育理论和实践，关于工程学生在工程和数学问题解决活动中的思维和动机的自我调节。自我调节技能的不同之处在于：（1）学生对所解决问题的个人知识（2）学生根据元认知知识对认知过程的主动协调和反思协调（认知的自我调节），（3）学生在问题解决活动中保持参与所需的动机的自我控制（动机的自我调节）。该项目将做出三大贡献。首先，研究结果将扩大有限的知识，学生的元认知知识的任务通知他们的认知和动机自我调节过程中的工程和数学问题解决活动。第二，通过直接与工程和数学教师合作，了解研究结果的含义，并开发促进自我调节学习的新实践和工具，该项目可能会推进解决问题的教学。第三，由于本研究将开发、测试和实施新的研究方案，以评估学生关于任务的元认知知识和他们使用的策略，新的知识将有助于未来对学生在工程和数学等领域的自我调节学习的研究。本研究以四个研究问题为指导，采用定量与定性相结合的研究设计，对学生在工程和数学问题解决活动中的自我调节认知和自我调节动机进行互补的粗粒度和细粒度的理解。通过分析使用有效的自我报告调查收集的定量数据（例如，动机量表的简要调节，BRoMS和物理元认知量表，PMI），将开发粗粒度的理解。将通过分析通过一对一访谈、大声思考协议、课堂观察和课堂上收集的课程工件收集的定性数据来建立细粒度的理解。 NSF IUSE：EHR计划支持研究和开发项目，以提高所有学生STEM教育的有效性。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project aims to serve the national interest by enhancing undergraduate students' problem-solving skills in engineering and mathematics. To do so, the project will develop a greater understanding about how students self-regulate their cognition and motivation during the process of solving difficult engineering and math problems. It will also support instructors to use teaching practices that promote self-regulation. Self-regulation comprises the knowledge and skills that enable students to control their thoughts and emotions while engaged in academic activities. This project focuses on improving student practice of self-regulation during problem-solving activities in two required second year engineering and mathematics courses. In engineering and mathematics, problems often have implicit constraints and requirements that are not easily identified by novice students. As a result, research is needed to understand how engineering and mathematics instructors can help students develop and activate their ability to self-regulate during problem-solving activities. To be effective problem-solvers, students must actively coordinate their understanding of the task at hand, their thoughts, and their motivation throughout the problem-solving activities. This three-year project will advance engineering and mathematics education theory and practice regarding engineering students’ self-regulation of thinking and motivation during engineering and math problem-solving activities. The distinct self-regulatory skills to be investigated include (1) students’ personal knowledge about the problem being solved (metacognitive knowledge about task), (2) students’ active and reflective coordination of cognitive processes in light of their metacognitive knowledge (self-regulation of cognition), and (3) students’ self-control of the motivation needed to maintain engagement during problem solving activities (self-regulation of motivation). The project will make three significant contributions. First, findings will broaden the limited knowledge about how students’ metacognitive knowledge about a task informs their cognitive and motivation self-regulatory processes in engineering and mathematics problem-solving activities. Second, by working directly with engineering and mathematics faculty to understand the implications of findings and develop new practices and tools that promote self-regulated learning, this project may advance problem-solving instruction. Third, because this research will develop, test, and implement new research protocols to assess students’ metacognitive knowledge about task and the strategies they use, new knowledge will contribute positively to future studies of students’ self-regulated learning in engineering and mathematics, as well as in other fields. Four research questions guide the study and a sequential mixed-methods research design involving quantitative and qualitative research methods will be used to develop complementary coarse and fine-grained understandings of students’ self-regulated cognition and self-regulated motivation during engineering and mathematics problem-solving activities. Coarse-grained understandings will be developed through analysis of quantitative data collected using validated self-report surveys (for example, Brief Regulation of Motivation Scale, BRoMS, and the Physics Metacognitive Inventory, PMI). Fine-grained understandings will be developed through analysis of qualitative data gathered via one-on-one interviews, think-aloud protocols, classroom observations, and course artifacts gathered in class. The NSF IUSE: EHR Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.