Adult part-time students' self-regulated learning

Abstract

This paper deals with the self-regulated learning of adult students in the part-time form of study. The focus stems partly from the methodological criticism of the traditional positivistic study of this phenomenon over the last decade, and partly from criticism of the research regarding adult education in the Czech Republic, which is also predominantly positivist in its orientation. This paper presents a qualitative study conducted in response to these criticisms. The research project included four focus groups comprised of a total of 34 informants enrolled in the part-time study programme. A grounded theory design was applied in order to analyse the data obtained. A paradigmatic model of tertiary education was designed within coding. Then the acquired categories were integrated into the grounded theory. The research identified motivation as the key variable affecting self-regulated learning management. Managing the context of learning also plays a pivotal role and is a prerequisite for the process of self-regulated learning. © The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology.