Sub-scales of the SRL-O questionnaire

Name

Online Academic Self-efficacy (Response Scale 1-7)

Definition

Online self-efficacy measures the student’s perceived abilities and belief of academic success in online courses. This scale contains four items. A high score indicates high confidence in mastering class material.

Recommendation for those that score under 4.

Break tasks into achievable steps so that you can be successful in achieving those steps. Start small, and as you become more successful, make the steps bigger. Look around you at peers and see how they are doing. Can you learn from their approaches? Seek feedback, from yourself and others, as to what you are doing well. Make sure you celebrate your successes.

Questions

1. I am confident that I will be able to master the content and assignments in this online class.

2. I am confident in my ability to successfully persist in this online class, even if I find the content difficult.

3. I am confident I can put in the effort required to get a high grade in this online class.

4. I am confident that I can accurately work out what the task is requiring me to do.

Name

Online Extrinsic Motivation (Response Scale 1-7)

Definition

Online extrinsic motivation is a measure of the reasons why a learner wants to engage with their learning. In particular, whether the learner perceives themselves to be participating in a task for reasons such as grades, rewards, performance, evaluation by others, and competition. This scale contains three items. A high score indicates engagement in the task as a means to an end (such as a grade).

Recommendation for those that score under 4.

Intrinsic motivation is thought to be more helpful than extrinsic motivation. However, you can improve your extrinsic motivation through setting an external goal, such as grade or getting into a postgraduate course.

Questions

1. I want to do well in this online course so I can show off to my friends and family.

2. I want to do well because of others real or perceived expectations of me.

3. I want to get a better grade than others in my online class.

 Name

Planning and time management (Response Scale 1-7)

Definition

Online planning and time management is about structuring one's efforts and time toward online study. This involves scheduling, planning and setting goals. This scale contains five items. A high score indicates more planning and time management strategies.

Recommendation for those that score under 4

Planning and managing time can be long or short term. Think about what you want to achieve from a study session, what you want to achieve from an assignment, and your course. Consider breaking large goals into smaller actionable goals. Consider using a diary with a timetable for weekly planning. Plan out how you meet assignment deadlines across the semester. At the start of each study session, create and prioritise lists of tasks you want to achieve.

Questions

1. I set short-term (daily or weekly) goals.

2. I set realistic deadlines for learning.

3. I break larger goals into smaller actionable goals.

4. I make a list of detailed actions that I need to complete.

5. I plan out my schedule each week, so I have the appropriate amount of time available for online study. 

 Name

Study Environment (Response Scale 1-7)

Definition

Involves having a study space that is quiet and distraction-free. This scale contains three items. A high score indicates learners can manage their study environment.

Recommendation for those that score under 4.

Make sure you can find a quiet, distraction-free place to study. You may want to change the place where you study, or the times when you study, or who is around you when you study.

Questions

1. I am able to study for my online course without distraction.

2. I have access to a quiet and distraction-free place to study.

3. I know where I can study most efficiently for this online course.

Name

Online Social Support (Response Scale 1-7)

Definition

This scale refers to the learner's willingness to seek help from and collaborate with peers and teachers and through the internet. This scale contains five items. A high score indicates greater seek help-seeking and collaboration with others

Recommendation for those that score under 4.

Consider talking to your teacher, peers in your class, or learning advisors to see how they can help. Connecting with, or learning from, teachers and peers does not have to be synchronous; consider other ways to connect through email, discussion boards and social media. Use online search engines to help you understand the content better.

Questions 

1. I try to help other students when they ask a question online I can answer.

2. I ask for help from knowledgeable others through online channels when I am not sure what to do in my online class.

3. I ask the teacher and/or my peers to clarify information in my online course.

4. When I have difficulties with my online class, I seek assistance from others through online means (discussion boards, social media, email, instant messaging etc.).

5. I use email, discussion boards, social media, etc. to connect with the teacher and other students when I need help.

Name 

Online Intrinsic Motivation (Response Scale 1-7)

Definition

Online intrinsic motivation is a measure of the reasons why a learner wants to engage with their learning. In particular, whether the learner perceives themselves to be participating in a task for reasons such as interest, challenge, curiosity, enjoyment and mastery. This scale contains five items. A high score indicates engagement in the task for the sake of learning and not only as a means to an end (such as a grade)

Recommendation for those that score under 4.

Online Intrinsic motivation does not come from grades but from your own interest. Reflect on the reasons you originally enrolled in the university. Think about your own personal reasons for learning the material. What do you want to achieve, what do you enjoy learning about, why is it important for you to do well and learn the material? Think about what stimulates your curiosity? Lastly, make sure you celebrate your successes. 

Questions

1. I always find aspects of the content that arouse my curiosity.

2. I love learning new things in this online class.

3. I find studying for this online class enjoyable.

4. I find it very satisfying when I learn new material in this online course.

5. I get a sense of achievement when I learn new skills or information.

 Name

Online Negative Achievement Emotion (Response Scale 1-7)

Definition

This measure includes both negative activating emotions (such as anxiety and shame), as well as negative deactivating emotions (such as hopelessness and boredom). Negative deactivating emotions can have a detrimental impact on motivation, mental processing and increase worry and mental distraction. Negative activating emotions may prompt effort but may also reduce intrinsic motivation and increase ridged strategy use. This scale contains five items. A high score on this measure indicates a high level of negative achievement emotion.

Recommendation for those that score under 4.

If you are feeling anxious or hopeless, take a deep breath and say 'I can do this', speak to family, friends or a health professional, practice relaxation exercises before studying, and focus on the task, not what others might be thinking, remember times you have performed well in the past. If you are feeling bored, mix up the topics you are studying, reward yourself with regular breaks, or try and make studying fun.

Questions

1. I feel so helpless that I cannot dedicate all my effort to my online studies.

2. I consider dropping out because I feel overwhelmed by my online studies.

3. While studying, I want to distract myself to lower my anxiety level.

4. I get so anxious that I don't even want to start studying online.

5. When I have to study online I start to feel bad.

Name

Metacognition (Likert scale 1-7)

Definition

Contains metacognitive planning, monitoring, and evaluating. Online metacognitive planning includes goal setting and task analysis, which makes organising and comprehending material easier. Online metacognitive monitoring includes reflecting, questioning and self-testing as one studies. Online metacognitive evaluating is adjusting and correcting one's cognitive activities and behaviours in response to one's own evaluation of performance during the task. This scale contains five items. A high score means that one is metacognitively aware while studying.

Recommendation for those that score under 4

Before you start a study session, make a plan of the activities you want to do. Look over the readings/instructions, so you get an idea of how it is organised. While looking over the resources, check your understanding of the content or the requirements of the activity. Try to determine which concepts you don't understand well so you can spend more time on them. Ask yourself questions such as, is this task similar to previous tasks? Can I do things differently from last time? Perhaps go back over the old assignment and look at the feedback you have received. How does your performance now compare? Can you adjust your current work based on previous feedback? If available, check your work against the rubric. How does your work compare? Are you meeting the standards you want to achieve? 

Questions

1. I think about what learning strategies have worked for me in the past when doing similar assignments/types of study.

2. I spend time trying to interpret the task to ensure I understand accurately what I need to do.

3. I usually self-assess my performance once I finish.

4. I look over past feedback I have received and check that I have made improvements in my current learning.   

5. I think about how I might improve my work by evaluating it against the marking criteria provided by the teacher.

Name

Online Effort Regulation (Response Scale 1-7)

Definition

Online effort regulation is the ability to persist even when the task is uninteresting, there are distractions, or there are more interesting things to do. It requires the learner to be committed to their study goals, control their efforts and implement a range of strategies to do so. This scale contains four items. A high score means that the learner tries hard and exerts effort during online studying

Recommendation for those that score under 4.

Keep a list of the topics that you find yourself procrastinating instead of studying. Try to analyse why you postpone studying these topics. Think about the strategies you could use to help you persist. For example, at the start of a study session, make a list of small achievable goals and concentrate on just achieving one at a time. Put distractions such as your phone in the other room. Set yourself a timer to study for a period of time (e.g. 30 minutes), before stopping for a break. Give yourself a reward if you reach a planned study goal.

Questions

1. I work hard in my online study, even when there are more interesting things to do.

2. When my online study gets difficult, I remain committed to reaching my study goals.

3. When my mind begins to wander during a learning session for this online course, I make a special effort to keep concentrating.

4. No matter how I am feeling, I persevere with my online study.

 Name

Online Task Strategies (Response Scale 1-7)

Definition

Task strategies include strategies that help the learner integrate and connect new information with prior knowledge, select appropriate information and also construct connections among the information to be learned, and apply previous knowledge to new situations. This scale contains five items. A high score on this measure indicates higher task strategy use.

Recommendation for those that score under 4.

When reading or listening to lecture content, spend time thinking about how the material relates to information you already know. Can you create your own examples that are different from the ones given? Try and make summaries of what you have learnt in your own words. Think critically about what the information means and whether you agree with the author’s conclusions.

Questions

1. When studying online, I create my own examples of the content to make it more meaningful.

2. When studying online, I organise my thoughts by making summaries of what I am learning.

3. When studying online, I try and relate the content to what I already know.

4. When learning the online content, I try and develop my own ideas about it.

5. I try and improve my understanding by doing additional work beyond the core content (e.g., doing extra problem-solving activities or extra readings).