A self-regulated learning environment for teaching algebra through blended education: A teaching engineering design

In this research, an alternative educational environment that can be applied during the Covid-19 epidemic period and in the following periods is designed. In the research, a self-regulated learning environment was designed in the teaching of algebraic expressions to secondary school 6th grade students through blended education and differentiated educational environments were presented to the students. Instructional engineering model was used in the research. The instructional engineering model is the realization, observation, analysis and evaluation of classroom practices for the purpose of teaching a specific content. Instructional engineering provides testing of theoretical knowledge in the literature with classroom practices. This research has transferred self-regulated learning strategies within the framework of instructional engineering model and social cognitive theory to in-class, face-to-face, distance-synchronous and home-extracurricular practices with algebra teaching. The general didactic variable of the research is education blended with self-regulated learning strategies, and the local didactic variables are in-class face-to-face activities, distance-synchronous activities and home-extracurricular activities prepared with self-regulated learning strategies. The aim of the research is to evaluate the opinions of the participants about the self-regulated learning environment designed through blended education. The participants of the research consist of 18 students, 9 girls and 9 boys, studying in the 6th grade of a village secondary school in a province in the Central Black Sea Region of Turkey in the spring semester of the 2021-2022 academic year. The research lasted for 5 weeks and a total of 50 hours of practice, 10 hours a week, was carried out. 41 self-regulated learning strategies and activities for teaching algebra were prepared and implemented by the researcher. Semi-structured interview form, observation form, researcher's diary, student diaries, and activity evaluation forms developed by the researcher to collect the data of the research. The data collected in the research were analyzed by content analysis method. As a result of the research, it was determined that the designed self-regulated learning environment provided internal and external motivation to the students, developed the skills of forethinking, regulation of cognition, regulation of the environment, social regulation and emotion regulation, and the ability to make operations on the subject of algebraic expressions and positive emotions.