Cross‐domain within‐ and between‐students antecedents to help seeking

Abstract

Help seeking is a key component of many systems of self‐regulated learning (SRL). Prior research has noted how motivational and other aspects of SRL relate to students' engagement in help seeking and endorsement of types of help seeking (i.e., adaptive, expedient, and avoidant). This study examines specific antecedents to help seeking—monitoring accuracy, perceived need for help, and value for help seeking—as both domain‐general (between students) and domain‐specific (within students) aspects of help seeking in a sample of upper elementary students. Drawing on self‐reports, teacher‐reports, and assessments, results show that antecedents' relations with help seeking vary at the level of measurement (within or between students), type of reporter (student vs. teacher), and characterization of help (adaptive vs. expedient). Results present a complicated picture of students' classroom help seeking, supporting some theoretical links and laying the stage for further study of help seeking across contexts among elementary students.