Online Self-Regulation in EFL Writing Classes: A Mixed-Method Approach

Abstract

Research on self-regulation has been extensively conducted but rarely undertaken in online EFL writing classes involving gender and motivation, and the results remain inconsistent. Considering gender and motivation, we posed four research questions: Which online self-regulation is most frequently used by EFL university students in writing classes? Does the use of online self-regulation differ across genders and motivations? To what extent does motivation correlate with online self-regulation? How do the students self-regulate their online writing classes? This mixed-method approach involved 252 Indonesian EFL university students. In the quantitative phase, the students were assigned to respond to Questionnaires about Self-Regulation in Online Writing Classes and the Motivation for Learning Writing Online. We analyzed the data using descriptive statistics, One-way ANOVA, and multiple regression. Based on the statistical results, we invited twelve participants to join group interviews and analyzed the data using content analysis. We interpreted the quantitative and qualitative results separately and compared them. This study reported the high use of online self-regulation in writing classes. The most and the least frequent subscales are environment structuring and task strategies. The students’ use of online self-regulation is significantly different, especially across motivation levels. High-motivation students apply online self-regulation more frequently. Motivation correlates significantly with online self-regulation, meaning that it can be a predictor of online self-regulation use. The qualitative results confirm that high-motivation students apply more self-regulation in task strategies, time management, help-seeking, and self-evaluation. These research findings imply the need for EFL students with moderate motivation to engage in self-regulation more frequently.