Fostering self-regulated learning in preschool through dynamic assessment methodologies.

Self-regulated learning is a transversal competency which plays a central role in acquiring autonomy. This investigation aimed to support approaches that foster self-regulated learning in preschool. We proposed to improve preschoolers' self-regulated learning strategies (i.e., forethought, performance, and self-reflection) through the educational intervention Pipo and Mia, the magic knights, hypothesizing different results when comparing levels of the program intervention. Participants included 115 preschoolers and their nine teachers. Teachers implemented the program to children, and engaged in professional training simultaneously. Aiming to validate the Dynamic Assessment of Self-regulation in Preschool (DASP) method socially, it was used as children's pre and post-measure, and focus groups were conducted with teachers to assess its validity. Results showed improvements in children's use of strategies, and some significant differences between intervention levels. Teachers highlighted the DASP method potentialities. The study's contributions and constraints are discussed considering implications for practice, research, theory, and policy.

Dynamic assessment of self-regulated learning in preschool.

The assessment of self-regulated learning is a relevant research topic in early childhood development. However, there are few ecologic measures to assess self-regulated learning in preschool as a dynamic and multidimensional process. This study aims to fill this gap by presenting the development and validation of the Dynamic Assessment of Self-regulated learning in Preschool (DASP) method. A dynamic assessment of the construct may constitute an important contribution as it enables the acquisition of cross observational, verbal, and performance data. The DASP method was developed within a theoretical framework of self-regulation, including all cyclical phases, namely, forethought, performance, and self-reflection. Specifically, this method requires children to be questioned in the forethought and self-reflection phases, and observed in the performance phase, as the researcher notes their strategies. This method is used while children engage in authentic preschool tasks. To achieve the study's aim, 214 preschool children were asked to participate. In this research, children performed the Clown task (cognitive task) and the Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders task (motor task). Item Response Theory analyses provided good item fit for the DASP method (forethought: .99, performance: 1.00, self-reflection: .99), good values of the tasks' reliability (Clown: .92; HTKS: .85), and evidence of the participants' difficulty level in completing the tasks. Results indicated that the children experienced more difficulty in the performance phase, as opposed to the other phases. The potentialities, constraints, and practical implications of the DASP method will be discussed in terms of contributions for theory and practice.