The Measurement of Learners’ Self-Regulated Cognitive and Metacognitive Processes While Using Computer-Based Learning Environments

In an attempt to combat ever-increasing class sizes and the teacher bandwidth problem (Wiley & Edwards, 2002), educators are depending more and more upon computerbased learning environments (CBLEs) as pedagogical tools. CBLEs, including hypertext, hypermedia, intelligent tutoring systems (ITS), virtual worlds, simulations, and other environments that use some type of technology to deliver instruction or instructional materials, can be powerful learning tools due to their ability to present multiple representations of information in a manner that affords a great deal of learner control (Lajoie & Azevedo, 2006). However, the research is clear that students who are unable to effectively self-regulate their learning (Winne & Hadwin, 2008; Zimmerman, 2000) with CBLEs are much less likely to acquire deep, conceptual understanding than their peers who have these skills (Azevedo, 2005a; Azevedo & Jacobson, 2008; Greene & Azevedo, 2007; Shapiro, 2008; Shapiro & Niederhauser, 2004; White & Frederiksen, 2005). Therefore, there has been increasing interest in studying how students self-regulate when learning with CBLEs, and how selfregulated learning (SRL) processing can be fostered in students who do not enact these behaviors on their own. The impetus for this special issue of Educational Psychologist came from our observations that self-report methods of measuring SRL (e.g., the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire; Duncan & McKeachie, 2005) are being supplanted by techniques that capture SRL as dynamic series of events