Efficacy of Self-Regulated Learning Strategies on English Grammar: Mediating Role of Identity Styles

Table of Contents

1. Introduction & Overview

This study investigates the efficacy of Self-Regulated Learning (SRL) strategies on the acquisition of English Relative Clauses (ERC), with a specific focus on the potential mediating role of learner identity styles. Grammar, particularly complex structures like relative clauses, is crucial for second language (L2) proficiency and communicative competence. While SRL strategies—encompassing metacognitive planning, monitoring, and evaluation—are recognized as significant facilitators of language learning, their interaction with psychological constructs like identity remains underexplored in grammar instruction contexts.

Identity styles, derived from Berzonsky's model, refer to the socio-cognitive strategies individuals use to construct and revise their sense of self. In an L2 context, a learner's identity can significantly influence engagement, motivation, and ultimately, grammatical rule internalization. This research bridges cognitive (SRL) and socio-affective (identity) domains to provide a more holistic understanding of grammar learning mechanisms.

2. Research Methodology

2.1 Participants & Design

The study employed a quasi-experimental design with 60 Iranian EFL learners at the university level. Participants were randomly assigned to an Experimental Group (EG) (n=30) and a Control Group (CG) (n=30). Homogeneity regarding prior knowledge of relative clauses was established using a pretest.

2.2 Instruments & Procedure

The procedure followed a structured sequence:

1. Pretest: Assessment of baseline ERC knowledge.
2. SRL Questionnaire: Administered to all participants to gauge existing strategy use.
3. Intervention: The EG received explicit training on key SRL strategies (e.g., goal-setting, self-monitoring, self-evaluation) for grammar learning, while the CG continued with常规 instruction.
4. Identity Style Questionnaire (Berzonsky): Administered to the EG to categorize learners into informational, normative, or diffuse-avoidant identity styles.
5. Posttest: Identical in format to the pretest, measuring ERC learning gains.

Data were analyzed using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) and one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA).

3. Results & Statistical Analysis

3.1 Effect of SRL Strategies

The ANCOVA results revealed a statistically significant main effect of the SRL strategy intervention on posttest ERC scores (p < 0.01). The effect size was large (η² = 0.83), indicating that knowledge and application of SRL strategies accounted for approximately 83% of the variance in grammar learning gains beyond the pretest. This robust finding underscores the powerful role of metacognitive self-regulation in mastering complex grammatical structures.

3.2 Mediating Role of Identity Styles

Contrary to the hypothesis, subsequent ANOVA tests showed that none of the three identity styles (informational, normative, diffuse-avoidant) played a statistically significant mediating role in the relationship between SRL strategy use and ERC achievement within this specific context. The expected interaction between cognitive strategy and socio-cognitive identity style was not observed.

4. Discussion & Conclusion

The study conclusively demonstrates that explicit instruction in Self-Regulated Learning strategies significantly enhances the acquisition of English relative clauses among EFL learners. The large effect size suggests SRL training is a highly effective pedagogical tool for grammar instruction.

The non-significant finding regarding identity styles as mediators is noteworthy. It may suggest that in the focused context of learning a discrete grammatical subsystem (relative clauses), the direct cognitive and metacognitive benefits of SRL strategies are so potent that they supersede the influence of broader identity processing styles. Alternatively, the measure of identity style or the specific learning context may not have been sensitive enough to capture a potential interaction.

Conclusion: Teachers, curriculum designers, and policymakers should prioritize integrating SRL strategy training into grammar syllabi to accelerate and deepen L2 grammatical competence.

5. Core Analysis & Expert Interpretation

Core Insight: This paper delivers a clear, potent, yet ultimately lopsided verdict. It powerfully validates SRL as a cognitive "engine" for grammar acquisition but fails to successfully integrate the promised socio-affective "transmission" (identity styles). The large effect size for SRL (η²=0.83) is the star—it's a number that should make any language curriculum designer sit up. However, the null result on identity mediation is the critical twist, revealing more about the study's design than the irrelevance of identity.

Logical Flow & Critical Flaw: The logic is sound: Cognitive strategies (SRL) + Affective mediator (Identity) = Outcome (Grammar). The execution, however, has a fundamental sequencing flaw. The study measures identity styles after the SRL intervention. This is a major methodological weakness. Identity styles are theorized as relatively stable, socio-cognitive processing frameworks (Berzonsky, 2011) that should influence how one engages with a new tool like SRL. Measuring them post-intervention risks capturing a state influenced by the treatment itself, not a stable trait mediating its effect. It's like trying to determine if someone's innate cooking style (identity) affects a recipe's outcome, but you only ask about their style after they've already cooked the dish using a new technique.

Strengths & Flaws: The strength is its clean experimental demonstration of SRL's efficacy—a valuable contribution aligning with broader educational psychology research (Zimmerman, 2002). The flaw is the missed opportunity on identity. The authors treat identity as a simple, static variable to be correlated, not as the dynamic, contextually negotiated construct prominent in contemporary SLA theory (Norton & Toohey, 2011). The use of Berzonsky's questionnaire, while psychometrically valid, may be too decontextualized for the specific, micro-level task of learning relative clauses.

Actionable Insights: 1) For Practitioners: Immediately integrate SRL training into grammar lessons. Teach students to set goals for clause mastery, monitor their comprehension in exercises, and evaluate their own writing. 2) For Researchers: Revisit the identity question with a pre-post design. Use mixed methods: combine identity style questionnaires with qualitative interviews or diaries to see how learners' sense of self as a "language learner" interacts with strategy use during the grammar learning process. 3) For the Field: This study highlights the need for more sophisticated models that don't just add cognitive and affective variables, but specify their temporal and interactive dynamics, akin to complex models in other learning domains.

6. Technical Framework & Future Directions

Technical Details & Conceptual Model

The hypothesized model can be represented as a mediation path:

Independent Variable (X): SRL Strategy Intervention (0=Control, 1=Experimental)
Hypothesized Mediator (M): Identity Style (Informational, Normative, Diffuse-Avoidant)
Dependent Variable (Y): Posttest ERC Score (controlling for Pretest)
Paths tested: Effect of X on Y (c), Effect of X on M (a), Effect of M on Y controlling for X (b). The indirect effect (a*b) represents mediation.

The core statistical test for the main effect was ANCOVA, modeling the DV as:
$Y_{post} = \beta_0 + \beta_1(Group) + \beta_2(Y_{pre}) + \epsilon$
where a significant $\beta_1$ indicates the treatment effect.

Analysis Framework Example (Non-Code)

Case Study Framework: To better investigate the identity mediation question, a future study could employ a Person-Centered Analysis alongside variable-centered methods.

1. Pre-Intervention Profiling: Cluster participants based on pre-test SRL strategy use and identity style scores, creating holistic learner profiles (e.g., "High SRL-Informational," "Low SRL-Diffuse").
2. Differential Intervention Analysis: Apply the SRL training. Then, analyze not just the overall treatment effect, but how much learners from each pre-existing profile benefit. Does the "Low SRL-Diffuse" group show the same gain as the "High SRL-Informational" group?
3. Process Tracing: For select cases from each profile, use think-aloud protocols while they complete grammar tasks post-intervention. Analyze not just if they use SRL strategies, but how they use them—does an "informational" style learner use self-monitoring more reflectively than a "normative" style learner?

This framework moves beyond correlation to examine how pre-existing configurations of traits and strategies shape the learning process.

Future Applications & Directions

• Adaptive Learning Systems: Integrate SRL prompts (e.g., "Set your goal for this exercise," "Rate your confidence") into digital grammar platforms. Future AI tutors could adapt feedback based on inferred learner self-regulation patterns.
• Teacher Training Modules: Develop professional development programs focused on "SRL-infused Grammar Teaching," moving beyond mere explanation to strategy coaching.
• Longitudinal & Cross-Cultural Studies: Replicate the study over longer periods and in different cultural contexts to see if the potency of SRL holds and if cultural dimensions of self-construal interact with identity styles.
• Neuroscientific Correlates: Use fMRI or EEG to explore if SRL strategy use during grammar learning activates metacognitive monitoring brain regions (e.g., prefrontal cortex) differently based on identity profiles.

7. References

1. Aliasin, S. H., Kasirloo, R., & Jodairi Pineh, A. (2022). The efficacy of self-regulated learning strategies on learning english grammar: the mediating role of identity styles. Journal of Psychological Science, 21(115), 1359-1374.
2. Berzonsky, M. D. (2011). A social-cognitive perspective on identity construction. In S. J. Schwartz, K. Luyckx, & V. L. Vignoles (Eds.), Handbook of identity theory and research (pp. 55-76). Springer.
3. Norton, B., & Toohey, K. (2011). Identity, language learning, and social change. Language Teaching, 44(4), 412-446.
4. Pintrich, P. R. (2004). A conceptual framework for assessing motivation and self-regulated learning in college students. Educational psychology review, 16(4), 385-407.
5. Zimmerman, B. J. (2002). Becoming a self-regulated learner: An overview. Theory into practice, 41(2), 64-70.
6. Ismail, N. S. C., & Dedi, F. (2021). The importance of grammar in second language learning. Journal of English Education and Teaching, 5(3), 1-15.
7. Pawlak, M. (2018). Grammar learning strategies: A state-of-the-art review. In M. Pawlak (Ed.), Studying second language acquisition from a qualitative perspective (pp. 3-22). Springer.