Reciprocal Peer Tutoring and Metacognitive Regulation of Learning

Socially Shared Regulation, Socially Shared Regulation of Learning and Socially Shared Metacognitive Regulation. Throughout the literature we’ve found all three terms that are reduced to a similar general definition which relates with the regulatory learning process within a group. In this Series we’ve seen research that includes work groups, student groups and even governmental groups. However, we have not discussed the dynamics of shared regulation among mutual contributions in pairs. In a study conducted by De Backer and colleagues (2015) the correlation between SSMR with both collaborative learners’ content processing strategies and the level of transactivity in discussions was examined. An innovative aspect of this research was that an authentic higher education reciprocal peer tutoring (RPT) setting was used for the analysis. All sessions of a semester long RPT-intervention of five randomly selected RPT-groups were videotaped for 70 hours. The data analysis consisted of literature-based coding instruments for the RPT-groups’ SSMR, content processing strategies (i.e., questioning and explaining), cognitively-oriented and metacognitively-oriented transactive discussions. Additionally, a binary logistic regression analyses were conducted for analyzing the relationship between RPT-groups’ SSMR and the content processing and transactive discussions. The results reported that both questioning and explaining are positively associated with SSMR. One of the salient results was that the probability of RPT-groups engaging in SSMR increased significantly in the presence of cognitively-oriented and metacognitively-oriented transactive discussions. Interestingly, when the participants elaborated on their peer’s metacognitive regulation it was conducive to the transactive discussions of RPT, while the non-transactive discussions were not significantly associated with SSMR. 

In a more recent research conducted by De Backer and colleagues (2016), metacognitive regulation was directly examined within the collaborative learning activities in a higher education reciprocal peer tutoring (RPT) setting. The research carried out a similar design: 1) the sample size was of 64 Educational Sciences students participants whom were undergoing a semester-long RPT-intervention and tutored one another in small groups of six. The data was collected via video recordings of 70 hours. Videotaped. Therefore, consequently, the analyses were similar but focused on the new research goals by running a logistic regression for interpreting the frequency of occurrence of metacognitive regulation, the low-/deep-level approach to regulation, and the initiative (by tutors/tutees) for metacognitive regulation. The findings of this research, as expected, suggest that RPT-groups continuously adopted metacognitive regulation over time throughout the RPT. More importantly, the results showed that tutees started to initiate RPT-groups’ monitoring more frequently as they became more familiarized with the RPT-setting. Orientation, planning, and evaluation remained tutor-centered responsibilities. 

Therefore, based on the findings of this research, let's revaluate the question set on the previous post: "Would the presence of a leader affect the learners experience and the shared regulation and collaborative dynamics?" According to the results reported on both of these studies about peer tutoring, we could conclude, with certain reservations, that a leader role (such as a tutor) would not hinder but would rather increase the metacognitive regulations of learners and moreover this social dynamic would create a two way learning pathway. These results may be contingent to factors such as role, leader responsibilities, group dynamics and metacognitively-oriented transactive discussions. Future research should examine the relationship between these factors. 

Sources and further readings:

De Backer, L., Van Keer, H., Moerkerke, B., & Valcke, M. (2016). Examining evolutions in the adoption of metacognitive regulation in reciprocal peer tutoring groups. Metacognition and Learning, 11(2), 187-213.

De Backer, L., Van Keer, H., & Valcke, M. (2015). Socially shared metacognitive regulation during reciprocal peer tutoring: Identifying its relationship with students' content processing and transactional discussions. Instructional Science , 43 (3), 323-344.