Elements, roles, obstacles, and implementation: case study on teacher perceptions on self-regulation in middle school students

Research suggests that self-regulated students tend to be more successful in school when compared to their peers who lack self-regulation, thus making it an important factor in achieving major goals (Pintrich & De Groot, 1990; Zimmerman, 1990). Schunk and Zimmerman (1997) affirmed that self-regulation is not an innate skill but can be taught. Teachers agree that self-regulated learning (SRL) is beneficial for students; however, research also confirmed that teachers seldom incorporate SRL strategies in their instruction (Perels, Dignath, & Schmitz, 2009; Law, n.d.). Prior research has shown major gaps in providing information on why teachers may be reluctant to teach students SRL skills. It is, however, important to understand the factors which influence teachers' perceptions because evaluating them can shed light on the reasons behind limited SRL instruction in school today. Purpose of this study was to determine whether teachers support or oppose the implementation of SRL strategies in their classrooms, to which extend they feel responsible for ensuring that theirs students become lifelong learners, and what obstacles they see with this implementation. Ten teachers were interviewed as part of this qualitative study. The responses revealed several themes: strength of perceptions, teacher knowledge, degree of responsibility, obstacles, and potential for implementation. Using Lewin's model of organizational change, this study encourages administrators to take measures to spark organizational change and incorporate self-regulated learning objectives into their schools.