“How can I help you learn?” Incorporating emotions into parents' support of young children's self-regulated learning at home and school during prolonged crisis

Background: Parents apply their knowledge of cognition, emotion, and behavior (metacognition, metaemotion, and metabehavior) to provide children external regulation to achieve learning goals. Aims: Two studies examined how parents' metaprocesses shape children's self-regulated learning (SRL) strategies through external regulation (other-regulation and co-regulation) in distance and in-school learning. Study 1 Method: Mothers (N = 357) were surveyed regarding their own and their 1st–3rd graders’ SRL in three cohorts: Cohort 1 (in-school learning; pre-COVID-19); Cohort 2 (distance learning; COVID-19 first lockdown); and Cohort 3 (in-school learning; post-lockdown). Results: Mediation coefficients were estimated for parent metaprocesses associated with their children's SRL, mediated through external regulation. In distance learning, parental metaemotion, metabehavior, and co-regulation were positively associated with their children's SRL. Co-regulation was positively associated with emotion SRL-reappraisal for Cohort 2 and Cohort 3. Study 2 Method: Parents (n = 311; 49% fathers) were surveyed while their 1st-3rd grade children were in distance learning (Time 1: COVID-19 third lockdown) and in routine in-school learning (Time 2) in a repeated-measures design. Their children (n = 143) reported on social, math, and language abilities at Time 2. Results: Cross-lagged models investigated Time 1 and Time 2 associations within- and across-time effects using complex mediation models. Metaprocesses were linked to SRL, math, and language skills through other-regulation, whereas metaprocesses were associated with SRL strategies and social skills through co-regulation. Conclusion: Parent metaprocesses were positively associated with prompts guiding their children's SRL strategies and learning outcomes. Findings highlight links between metaprocesses and child emotion SRL-reappraisal through co-regulation.