Abstract
A constantly changing, transforming and renewing world requires individuals to update their existing knowledge or skills or gain new knowledge and skills. This is especially necessary in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) where individuals must work in a complex and challenging environment and possess scarce and adaptable skills. To develop these skills and update or acquire knowledge, individuals must continue to learn throughout their lives. This is especially true for Chartered Accountants (CA’s) who must keep up to date with financial and technical updates, new legislation and changing technology.
Lifelong learning can be considered as all activities that individuals partake in to develop their knowledge, skills and interests and can occur in formal or informal educational settings. Promoting quality education and lifelong learning is also one of the United Nation’s (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To be successful at a lifetime commitment to learning, a person must be able to learn effectively. Self-regulated learning is fundamental to lifelong learning and entails strategies focused on improving the learning process. These strategies are aimed at being metacognitively, behaviourally and motivationally active and the foundation of which should be established in higher education.
Self-regulated learning in students refers to how a student starts, manages and controls their own learning and some students need to be equipped with self-regulating skills. The training and development of self-regulated learning skills can be achieved with diverse learners within authentic classroom settings by providing them with knowledge and practical guidance on the key elements of self-regulated learning. Educators who want to instil these skills within their students require knowledge of the models of self-regulation and the concepts found in them. The purpose of this study was twofold: firstly to instil self-regulated learning skills in students, and secondly to provide educators with a guide to use in their respective content areas to develop these skills in their students. The primary research objective of this study stemming from the purpose was to develop a practical tutorial programme for educators to integrate into their existing curriculum to enhance lifelong learning skills within students. The secondary objectives are to facilitate this programme with second-year accounting students and create an awareness in them of the characteristics of a self-regulated learner, the knowledge of different learning strategies, and the knowledge to apply the learning strategies to their different subjects.
The objectives of the study were reached through an action research methodology conducted through two cycles of planning, acting, observing and reflecting. The action research cycles were enacted with two different cohorts of second-year accounting students to develop a programme with guidance for educators effectively. The study collected several sets of
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quantitative and qualitative data during the action research process to firstly inform the development of the tutorial programme and then secondly to observe and reflect on the developed programme through the perceptions of the students and through the reflections of the researcher. The students’ responses from the first cycle indicated that the sessions positively impacted their ability to set goals, understand and adjust their learning styles, control their learning environment, motivate themselves and self-reflect on their progress. Two areas that did not reveal significant improvement from the sessions were the students’ ability to break down goals into short-term plans and change their learning strategies to the studied content. It was also noted that the timing of the sessions should be considered, and the sessions should include more practical, fun and interactive aspects to keep the students’ attention.
The changes made to the tutorial programme in the second action research cycle were to combine the non-technical elements of the programme with the technical content of accounting, to add more interactive and fun elements to the sessions, and to provide quicker feedback on the reflective questions that the students answered within the Learning Management System (LMS). From the students’ responses regarding the second action research cycle, it was noted that the tutorial programme integrated successfully with the second-year syllabus and provided students with much-needed input into their learning journey. The elements included in the programme – goal setting, metacognitive awareness, control of the learning environment, motivation, and self-reflection – were all seen as relevant and important to achieve a rounded self-regulated learner.
The study contributed by providing a programme and advice to educators on developing lifelong learning in students within their existing curriculum. Furthermore, it provides students with a toolbox full of ideas on how to be a self-regulated learner through the knowledge and awareness of the characteristics of a self-regulated learner and practice of the suggested tools and tips. The study focused on raising awareness of students' learning habits and environment rather than evaluating the tutorial programme's impact on their performance. While this may be seen as a limitation, assessing academic performance was not its objective, as multiple factors influence student outcomes. The study's use of action research posed a limitation, as the researcher was also the educator influencing teaching practices. To mitigate this, student observations and reflections were incorporated alongside the researcher’s own, ensuring unbiased reporting of both positive and negative feedback.
During the tutorial programme, it became clear that many students struggle with procrastination. Given its significance, further research could explore the causes of procrastination and strategies to manage it. It is recommended that the tutorial programme be implemented in similar contexts across different subjects and higher education institutions.
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This would offer insights into its execution, provide guidance for educators, and allow evaluation of its effectiveness across various content areas.
Keywords
Self-regulated learning; lifelong learning; goal setting; metacognitive awareness; learning environment; motivation; self-reflection; accounting education.