Perceived Classroom Control, Self-Regulated Learning Strategies, and Academic Achievement

Relations between perceived classroom control, self-regulation strategies and academic achievement were investigated in a sample of 302 sixth grade students. Four distinct perceived classroom control styles were determined, based on the balance between teacher and student control over learning. It was hypothesised that student mathematics achievement would be contingent on the combined effects of teacher and student control: it would be highest when both teacher and student control is high, and would be lowest when both of them are low. Student adoption of self-regulated learning strategies would be linked to the net effect of student control: they would be highest when student control is high and teacher control is low, and would be lowest when teacher control is high and student control is low. The data tended to support these hypotheses, indicating that both achievement and self-regulation strategies were contingent on classroom processes.