Metacognition, Self-Regulation, and Autonomy Support in the Chilean Mathematics Classroom: An Observational Study.

This paper presents the results of an observational study developed on lessons taught by 128 teachers for a national teaching assessment program in Chile and whose practice was identified as outstanding. Specifically, we studied which strategies teachers used to promote students' self-regulation and autonomy during segments involving teacher-led public talk, student-led public talk, shared engagement, and private work. Additionally, we examined whether the instructional practices targeting self-regulation that occur throughout these segments can be accounted for based on two overall dimensions of teacher practices, namely one of promotion of metacognition and one of promotion of motivation. During public segments, teachers encouraged student participation; during private work segments, teachers offered clues for problem solving. Thus, there was a stronger focus on motivational regulation instructional strategies during public segments and on metacognitive instructional strategies during private ones. A confirmatory factor analysis supported the hypothesis of two distinctive but related factors behind the observed self-regulation promotion strategies, one motivational, and one cognitive.

Classroom research and child and adolescent development in South America.

The article reviews recent classroom research developed in South America related to child and adolescent development. We review work about three themes: ethnicity, school climate and violence, and the learning process. The few studies found on ethnicity and classroom experiences told a story of invisibility, if not exclusion and discrimination. Research on violence suggests that, although there are variations within countries, school climate is an area of concern. Intervention work, still limited, is necessary considering the incidence of violence in the classrooms. Research on learning showed that most classrooms adhere to a very conventional pedagogy. There is a need to advance on international comparisons across all themes. Similarly, there is a need to go beyond the description of classroom dynamics to test educational interventions that may shed light on ways to improve educational performance, to decrease school violence, and to promote diversity within the classroom. Notwithstanding its limitations, the research here reviewed provides clear evidence of the relevant role that classroom experiences play in human development. In addition to their essential role in schooling, classrooms are the settings where processes related to peer relations, identity formation, and socioemotional development unfold.