Cognitive Control Functions of Study Activities: A Compensation Model

Instructional principles for self-regulation

“…may provide a powerful balance among available alternatives" (Osman & Hannafin, 1992, p. 89). Since better learners probably employ strategies associated with SR to compensate for cognitive deficiencies (Di Vesta & Moreno, 1993), increased SR support might compensate for weak SR. Instruction may be embedded with information and activities to compensate for SR weaknesses in less self-regulated learners without adversely affecting more self-regulated learners. Including SR has not decreased achievement in more self-regulating students but has closed the achievement gap between more and less self-regulating students (Young, 1996).…”

“…Organizing is an important study activity (Di Vesta & Moreno, 1993) and a key component of SR (Hagen & Weinstein, 1995;Zimmerman & Paulsen, 1995). Organizing materials may be broadly defined as transforming and "rearranging instructional materials to improve learning, for example, 'I make an outline before I write my paper'" (Zimmerman & Martinez-Pons, 1986, p. 618).…”

The contribution of reading comprehension ability and meta‐cognitive control to the development of studying in adolescence

“…Specifically, students with well-developed meta-cognitive skills are thought to be able to compensate for the cognitive strains of studying by more adequately monitoring their comprehension and evaluating the relationship between study activities and task goals than students who are less meta-cognitively prescient (DiVesta & Moreno, 1993). Research suggests that meta-cognition contributes significantly to the development of studying in high school and college, but not in middle school Brown, Day & Jones, 1983;Brown, Smiley & Lawton, 1978;Garner, 1985;Nelson, Dunlosky, Graf & Narens, 1994;Winograd, 1984).…”

“…The primary perceived goals of academic studying in adolescence are acquiring knowledge and preparing for examinations. As such, academic studying is effortful, demanding of cognitive resources, and isolated in the sense that individuals are typically without the supports provided in social settings like classrooms (Brown, Bransford, Ferrara & Campione, 1983;DiVesta & Moreno, 1993). Efficient and effective study strategies are needed, therefore, to avoid cognitive overload and to facilitate independent academic functioning (DiVesta & Moreno, 1993).…”

“…The second skill hypothesised to contribute to the development of studying (and other cognitive phenomena) in adolescence is meta-cognition, the ability to reflect upon and regulate the application of cognitive skills (Baker, 1994;Kuhn, Garcia-Mila, Zahar & Anderson, 1995;Schneider & Pressley, 1989). Specifically, students with well-developed meta-cognitive skills are thought to be able to compensate for the cognitive strains of studying by more adequately monitoring their comprehension and evaluating the relationship between study activities and task goals than students who are less meta-cognitively prescient (DiVesta & Moreno, 1993). Research suggests that meta-cognition contributes significantly to the development of studying in high school and college, but not in middle school Brown, Day & Jones, 1983;Brown, Smiley & Lawton, 1978;Garner, 1985;Nelson, Dunlosky, Graf & Narens, 1994;Winograd, 1984).…”