Classroom talk and the development of self-regulation and metacognition

Background

The development of young children’s ability to organize their learning and problem-solving activities (self-regulation) and to reflect on their intellectual efforts (metacognition) have been major topics of research in recent years. In that same period, much attention has been given to the functions of classroom talk for mediating learning and collective problem solving. Despite both these lines of enquiry being inspired by the work of Vygotsky, they have typically involved different groups of researchers, amongst whom there has been relatively little joint activity; and no common conceptual framework has been created for bringing them together.

Aims

The main aim of this paper is to bring together two lines of research – on the development of self-regulation and on classroom talk – and identify shared points of reference which could be helpful for developing a common theoretical framework and coordinated lines of enquiry.

Methods

Three concepts are discussed which have been central in relevant research, namely ‘dialogue’, ‘metacognition’ and ‘self-regulation’. To these are added the concepts of ‘co-regulation’ and ‘exploratory talk’. Research from both lines of enquiry is then discussed in relation to these concepts. The resources of Vygotskian sociocultural theory and relevant empirical evidence are then 320used to propose a synthesis of the two lines of research, so as to bring the key concepts and the research they inform into one sociocultural account of how children learn and develop cognitively.

Conclusions

It is concluded that research in both lines of enquiry would benefit from being integrated, and that it is possible to develop a common conceptual framework and agreement on the definitions of key concepts. It is proposed that future research on the development of self-regulation should take more precise account of the crucial role of language in mediating such development; and that future research on language and learning in school should attend more to the processes by which external regulation shapes the development of co-regulation and self-regulation. Finally, it is suggested that the integration of the two lines of enquiry could make a significant contribution towards fulfilling Vygotsky’s aim of explaining the dynamic relationship between intermental and intramental activity and understanding its role in learning and cognitive development.