Objectives and outcomes

Based on the state of the art for SRL presented here, the prospective research network seeks to facilitate research collaborations among the network members in order to advance the field of SRL in the scope of educational innovations, and to discuss innovative research ideas by combining the expertise of researchers across different sub-disciplines. In the run of four meetings of the network members and workshops with national and international experts on the different meeting topics, we aim at: (1) discussing, exchanging, and developing methodological approaches to assess SRL in order to triangulate our instruments for validity testing, (2) bringing together research that focusses on the role of SRL in the scope of educational innovation, and to disseminate these results in two special issues of international, peer-reviewed journals, and (3) developing a vision of how to support a sustainable implementation of SRL and its promotion in different educational settings, resulting in a research agenda. Based on the results of the first three meetings, we aim at developing research ideas about how SRL can be implemented in schools, in particular in digital classrooms and among a diverse group of learners.


Objective 1:

Discussing and exchanging methodological approaches to assess SRL

Valid assessment of SRL is among the most important gaps in contemporary research on SRL. Research perspectives on SRL as well as assessment methods for SRL differ among researchers from different sub-disciplines and research traditions. Thus, our first objective will be to compare research approaches and instruments that the network members apply to investigate SRL, and to attain synergy by combining approaches and by collaborating in data collection and use of assessment instruments. The network will offer opportunities for its members to present their work and to find cooperation partners in order to test and validate instruments in different contexts and with large samples in order to eventually produce more valid results. Moreover, we aim at developing innovative assessment instruments that are effective to measure SRL, and at the same efficient to assess SRL among larger samples.


Objective 2:

Bringing together research that focusses on the role of SRL in the scope of educational innovation

Educational innovations, such as digitization or inclusive education, come along with individualized and adaptive instruction that requires increasing self-regulation from learners. Our second objective is to combine expertise of research on teachers’ competence to promote SRL, instructional designs to foster SRL (supply of learning opportunities), of research on learners’ SRL (uptake of learning opportunities), and of research on the assessment of SRL (learning outcome), by integrating all three levels into the settings of digital and inclusive learning environments. The research of the network members focusses on different developmental stages of learners regarding SRL, from kindergarten until higher education, and will consider peculiarities with regard to digital media use in education as well as inclusive settings by consulting with experts from both fields. The work of the network will result in innovative research questions, and should encourage and strengthen long-term cooperation among the researchers. The output of the network should be reflected in the organization of joint symposia at national and international conferences (GEBFDGPsEARLI SIG 16, 11, 8, etc., and AERA). In addition, the network will aim at publishing results from the meetings in two special issues that integrate research on fostering SRL in the scope of digital classrooms, as well as diversity.


Objective 3:

Developing a vision of how to support a sustainable implementation of SRL

Within the current developments in innovating education by focusing on the diversity of learners, and by digitization of classrooms, SRL and its promotion in classrooms will play a major role. Our third objective is to contribute to a vision on how SRL can be implemented sustainably – thus beyond intervention studies – into digital and inclusive classrooms. Based on the diverse expertise of the network members, with experts on SRL in digital learning environments, and experts for SRL among different age groups or other individual learning prerequisites, the network can add to the development of such a vision, and also to the general discussion on how to implement digital media use and inclusion by bringing in the perspective of SRL. Moreover, as this network is highly international, it will contribute additionally by benefitting from the experience of researchers from countries that are already more experienced with educational innovation than Germany is.

SeReNe is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG).