Motivating Middle School Learners

There has been increasing concern over middle-schoolstudents' standardized test scores and decreasedengagement in learning activities. This isparticularly true of at-risk students who oftenexhibit characteristics of learned helplessness. Onefactor may be that middle school students frequentlydo not understand what skills and knowledge theypossess (academic self-efficacy) or how they learn(self-regulated learning strategy use).This study examined the effects of participation in aguided reflective writing program and gender onmiddle school students' academic self-efficacybeliefs and use of self-regulated learningstrategies. Quantitative data were collected from anacademic self-efficacy inventory administered as apre- and posttest. Qualitative data were collected toexamine students' awareness and use of self-regulatedlearning strategies. The data sources included thetreatment group responses to writing prompts andinterviews from selected students from both groups.Self-efficacy and self-regulated learning wereexamined for gender differences.This work is of interest to educators counselorsadministrators psychologistseducationalresearchers and parents.