Students’ online self-regulated learning and academic achievement: General effects of the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

The present study aimed to propose a conceptual model of the general effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the self-regulatory behavior of students learning online. The participants of the study included 350 students of Salman Farsi University of Kazerun who answered an electronic questionnaire from November 5 to November 24, 2020. This electronic questionnaire consisted of two tools: 1. COVID-19 General Impact Survey 2. Online Self-regulated Learning Questionnaire (OSLQ). The results of the structural equation modeling (SEM) showed that the goal orientation dimension has the highest mean (M=17.58) and the time management dimension has the lowest mean (M=10.18) among students. With the increase in negative academic outcomes and the decrease in students' psychological health during the COVID-19, their online self-regulated learning behaviors have also reduced. In addition, the COVID-19 had a negative and direct effect on online self-regulated learning behaviors in students. The results also showed that the greatest effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the self-regulatory components of online learning was related to the time management component. As for academic achievement, the three dimensions of goal setting, environmental structure, and self- evaluation showed a positive and significant relationship with the average of two semesters of students. Finally, the overall effects of the COVID-19 could explain 11% of online self-regulatory learning behaviors in students. Implicit implications of these findings for education as well as suggestions for further research are discussed.