Effect of self-regulated learning strategies on students’ achievement in science: A meta-analysis

The findings revealed that nine SRL strategies played the most significant roles in students’ achievement in science, namely (i) metacognitive, (ii) cognitive, (iii) behavioural, (iv) motivational, (vi) combination of metacognitive and cognitive, (vii) combination of metacognitive, cognitive, and motivational, (viii) combination of metacognitive and motivational, and (ix) combination of motivational and cognitive strategies. Metacognitive strategy was the most dominant for all four science subjects. Metacognitive strategy can affect students’ achievement in chemistry (es=1.82), physics (es=0.43), and science (es=0.88). On the other hand, behavioural strategy was found to be an important strategy in biology (es=0.45). Additionally, the moderating effect of school level variable revealed a high impact (es=0.63) in all four science subjects compared to university/college level variable (es=0.33). It is concluded that SRL strategies are effective in improving students’ achievement in four science subjects. Hence, teachers and curriculum developers need to select suitable SRL strategies to teach science. Additionally, a systematic understanding would provide more strategic educational interventions to improve the achievement of students in science subjects. The findings are important for policymakers, curriculum developers, and teachers for educational change. It is also recommended that future studies focus on how the nine SRL strategies can be integrated into the science curriculum.