Socially Shared Regulation of Learning

Learning can be defined as the long-term change in mental representations as a result of experience (Omrod, 2016). However, learning is not restricted to emerge only from trials and individual processes, but also arises from social interaction. One of the differentiations between individual and group learning are: 1) the group learning approach extends beyond individual learning to create a collective body of knowledge and 2) the learning groups also share a focus on learning how learn in a group and understand the understanding of others (Salas, & Cannon-Bowers, 2000).The concept of social learning is not new (Munsterberg, 1914), but was neglected at the beginning of Psychology for not following the positivist rigor of the time (Gardner, 1985), and the rise of behaviorism between the 1920s and 1950s. However, social learning and social cognition have attracted attention in recent decades, partially, due to the popularization of Vygotsky's theory of the development zone (Salomon & Perkins, 1998). The theoretical postulates of Vygotsky argue that human activity is socially executed, and therefore, learning is mediated by the interaction of the subject with their social environment. These postulates are visible in the theory of the zone of proximal development, which can be defined as the distance between the independent performance of the apprentices and the highest level that the individual can achieve under the guidance of a more expert partner. For example, the learner can maximize his learning by interacting with, and intervening with, a mentor, teacher, or a more capable peer (Vygotsky, 1978).
From the perspective of Social Cognition, learning is mediated by observing the effects of actions and their consequences. Within this view the protagonism of the essay and the error of behaviorism are abandoned (Bandura, 1994). That is, people learn from each other by observation, imitation and modeling. From this perspective, learning is provided more quickly when it is modeled. That said, we already know that learning can arise without there being observable change in behavior, by affecting cognitive processes such as attention and memory.

Following this line of thought, we could question whether metacognition (an internal process that involves thinking about our own thinking) can be socially shared to increase group learning. Previous research on metacognitive development has used the Zone of Near Development (ZPD) to explain how adults can scaffold the progress of learners with assisted performance (learning regulated by others) to be independent (self-regulated) (Bruner, 1985; Wertsch , 1985). The process of scaffolding is the mutual adjustment and appropriation of ideas instead of a simple transfer of information and skills from one teacher to another (Brown et al., 1993, Packer, 1993, Wertsch, 1984). Vygotsky also analyzed the notion of ZPD in terms of equal status associations, noting that when children played together they acted above their normal level of development and could regulate their own behavior and that of their partners according to more general social scripts. (Minick, 1987). Applied to educational settings, this vision of the ZPD suggests that there is a learning potential in peer groups where students have an incomplete but relatively equal experience: each partner possesses some knowledge and skill, but requires the contribution of others to progress.

Which brings us to the Socially Shared Regulation of Learning through the collaboration of groups. Self-regulation of learning positively affects learning. This arises when individuals manage to maximize their cognitive, behavioral and motivational resources and use these strategies to increase their learning processes (Schunk and Zimmerman, 2008). The shared learning activities that arise in collaborative spaces (Volet et al., 2009), where an interpersonal regulation mediated by social processes emerges (Järvela et al., 2010).

There already exists a notion that social context is important in an individuals self-regulated learning, and such thesis is supported by a wide range of SRL research (Hadwin et al. 2011). The interesting part of these more recent studies on the social aspect of self-regulation and learning, is that co-regulation (CoRL) builds on older theories such as the before mentioned Vygotskian and neo-Vygotskian theories. For example the ZPD suggests that social interactions with individuals who are more capable facilitate students’ development of SRL through internalizing a modeled cognitive process. Which harmonizes with CoRL given that it emphasizes the importance of giving and receiving support in peer interactions (McCaslin 2009).

Collaboration, which in this series is thought of as the process of constructing and maintaining a shared conception of a problem or task, distributing the responsibility among the members of the group, sharing experience and constructing and negotiating mutual cognition (Roschelle, 1992). When placing collaboration in learning research, we say that regulatory processes should be considered from the cognitive processes involved in or instrumental for knowledge co-construction (Hmelo-Silver and Barrows 2008), socio-cognitive dynamics of knowledge building (Zhang et al. 2007), knowledge convergence (Weinberger et al. 2007), or task- and team related aspects (Fransen et al. 2013). A salient factor in shared regulation of learning is that self-regulated learning theory extends conceptions of learning beyond cognitive processes and outcomes, acknowledging the interactive roles of motivation, emotion, metacognition, and strategic behavior in successful learning (Zimmerman and Schunk 2011).

We can define SSRL as the processes where individuals within a group regulate their collective activity. The collective regulation occurs within interdependent or collectively shared regulatory processes, beliefs, and knowledge that is utilized to achieve a shared outcome (Hadwin et al. 2011). In this series, we will be exploring research that examines how the metacognitive, social, and collaborative factors relate with how groups become aware of how one learns with others, which has been a scarce subject within the learning research.

Sources & further readings: 

Bandura, A. (1994). Self-efficacy. In V. S. Ramachandran (Ed.), Encyclopedia of human behavior (Vol. 4, pp. 7181). New York: Academic Press. (Reprinted in H. Friedman [Ed.]. Encyclopedia of  mental health. San Diego: Academic Press, 1998).

Barron, B. (2000). Achieving coordination in collaborative problem-solving groups. The Journal of the Learning Sciences, 9, 403-436.

Barron, B. (2003). When smart groups fail. The Journal of the Learning Sciences. 12, 307-359.

Baumeister, R. F., & Finkel, E.J. (Eds.). (2010). Advanced social psychology. pp. 63- 262. New York: Oxford University Press.

Brown, A. L. (1978). Knowing when, where, and how to remember: A problem of metacognition. Advances in Instructional Psychology. 1, 77-165.

Lieberman, M. D. (2007). Social cognitive neuroscience: a review of core processes. Annual Review of Psychology. 58. 259-289.

Minick, N. (1987). The development of Vygotsky’s thought: An introduction. in R.W. Rieber and A. S. Carton (eds.). The Collected Works of L. S. Vygotsky. Vol. 1: Problems of  General Psychology. Plenum Press, New York. pp. 17–36.

Ormrod, J. (2016). Social Cognitive Theory. Human Learning, 7th Edition (pp. 113-145). Pearson. US.

Packer, M. (1993). Away from internalization, in E.A. Forman, N. Minick and C.A. Stone (eds.). Contexts for Learning: Sociocultural Dynamics in Children’s Development.  Oxford University Press. New York. pp. 254–265.

Palincsar, A. M., & Brown, D. A. (1987). Enhancing instructional time through attention to metacognition. Journal of Learning Disabilities. 20(2). 66-75.

Roschelle, J. (1992). Learning by collaborating: Convergent conceptual change. Journal of the Learning Sciences. 2. pp. 235-276.

Salas, E., & Cannon-Bowers, J. A., (2000). The anatomy of team training. In S. Tobias & D. Fletcher (Eds.). Training and retraining: A handbook for businesses, industry, government, and military. pp. 312–335. Farmington Hills, MI: Macmillan.

Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.