The development of self-regulation skills through the modeling and structuring of computer programming

The development and enhancement of self-regulation, learning to learn, and adaptive problem solving are predicated on the ability to access and engage one's metacognitive skills. In this study, 3rd, 5th, and 8th grade students were given a series of increasingly more complex tasks which they had to perform themselves and then teach the computer to perform. The computer became the receiver of the students' inputs and strategies and served as a model and structure on which to gain access to their own personal problem solving strategies. Students analyzed, criticized, adapted, and changed those strategies as needed. Proficiency increased and strategies were more easily adopted and adapted to other tasks and problems. Completion of tasks increased significantly and nonproductive steps (errors) and number of trials (redos) decreased. There were no differences by sex except in the types of errors made. Evidence of self-regulation development was also shown in the types of questioning used by students.