The role of self-regulated learning in literal comprehension among adult learners in private universities in Indonesia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33474/j-reall.v7i1.24675Keywords:
adult learners, literal comprehension, self-regulated learningAbstract
There is a lack of empirical research on the role of self-regulated learning (SRL) in literal reading comprehension among adult learners, particularly in non-Western contexts such as Indonesia. Most previous studies have examined SRL in broader educational settings, leaving a limited understanding of how self-regulation supports specific literacy skills, especially literal comprehension. This study, therefore, investigates the effect of SRL on the literal reading performance of adult learners in a private university in Indonesia and examines how different levels of SRL influence learning outcomes after instruction. This study employed a quasi-experimental design involving 48 adult learners. Participants were categorized into high-SRL and low-SRL groups using the self-regulation questionnaire (SRQ). Data were collected through pre-test and post-test assessments of literal reading comprehension. Descriptive statistics were used to examine changes in literacy scores, while inferential analyses, including paired t-tests, independent t-tests, and correlation analysis, were conducted to determine the significance of differences between the two groups and the relationship between variables. The findings revealed that the mean score increased from 68.50 in the pre-test to 76.83 in the post-test, indicating an improvement of 8.33 points after instruction. A moderate positive correlation (r = 0.655) was also identified between pre-test and post-test scores while controlling for SRL, suggesting that learners with higher SRL tended to achieve better reading performance. However, the relative influence of SRL on post-instruction performance appeared slightly reduced, indicating that instructional support may help lower-SRL learners narrow the performance gap.
References
Burns, P. C., Roe, B. D., & Ross, E. P. (1996). Teaching reading in today’s elementary schools. Houghton Mifflin.
Galang, R. T., Arrozal, J. Y., Regala, A., & Manlutac, A. C. (2023). Reading comprehension level and academic performance of college students in their mathematics course. International Journal of Multidisciplinary: Applied Business and Education Research, 4(10), 3516–3520. https://doi.org/10.11594/ijmaber.04.10.07
Galiza, C. C. (2022). Reading competency and academic performance of students. Journal for Educators, Teachers and Trainers, 13(1), 94–100. https://doi.org/10.47750/jett.2022.13.01.011
Herwiana, S., Purwati, O., & Anam, S. (2023). Promoting self-regulated learning of reading ability in university students: EFL lecturers’ perspective. Elite Journal, 5(1), 155–166. http://elitejournal.org/index.php/ELITE/article/view/117
Lau, K. L. (2020). The effectiveness of self-regulated learning instruction on students’ classical Chinese reading comprehension and motivation. Reading and Writing, 33(8), 2001–2027. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-020-10028-2
Miranda, A. E., Hermansyah, H., & Mortini, A. V. (2023). Reading habits in the digital age: Changes trend and behavior in alpha generation. Esteem Journal of English Education Study Programme, 6(1), 100–110. https://doi.org/10.31851/esteem.v6i1.10222
Mohammadzadeh, A., & Sarkhosh, M. (2018). The effects of self-regulatory learning through computer-assisted intelligent tutoring system on the improvement of EFL learners’ speaking ability. International Journal of Instruction, 11(2), 167–184. https://doi.org/10.12973/iji.2018.11212a
Morris, T. H. (2019). Adaptivity through self-directed learning to meet the challenges of our ever-changing world. Adult Learning, 30(2), 56–66. https://doi.org/10.1177/1045159518814486
Nurjanah, R. L. (2023). Self-regulated learning strategy in learning activities of literal reading course to build learning independence. SALEE: Study of Applied Linguistics and English Education, 4(1), 296–314. https://doi.org/10.35961/salee.v4i1.636
Nurjanah, R. L., Mujiyanto, J., Pratama, H., Anggani, D., & Bharati, L. (2021). Why is self-regulated learning strategy important for literal reading? The importance of SRL for literal reading. ISET: International Conference on Science, Education and Technology, 7(1), 479–483. https://proceeding.unnes.ac.id/index.php/iset
Qi, X. (2021). Effects of self-regulated learning on students’ reading literacy: Evidence from Shanghai. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, Article 555849. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.555849
Ramli, N., Muljono, P., & Afendi, F. M. (2018). External factors, internal factors and self-directed learning readiness. Journal of Education and E-Learning Research, 5(1), 37–42. https://doi.org/10.20448/journal.509.2018.51.37.42
Rusmiati, Y., & Agustin, I. (2024). How reading habit support students’ self-regulated learning (SRL) in literal reading subject at the 1st semester in academic year 2022/2023 Universitas Panca Sakti Bekasi. NUSRA: Jurnal Penelitian dan Ilmu Pendidikan, 5(1), 437–442. https://doi.org/10.55681/nusra.v5i1.2286
Schunk, D. H., & Zimmerman, B. J. (1997). Social origins of self-regulatory competence. Educational Psychologist, 32(4), 195–208. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15326985ep3204_1
Scollon, R. (2014). Mediated discourse as social interaction: A study of news discourse. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315840031
Sholeh, A. (2018). Reviving reading culture: Promoting free voluntary reading among students: The students’ case of private university in Malang. Jurnal Inspirasi Pendidikan, 8(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.21067/jip.v8i1.2179
Sholeh, A. (2019). Self-regulated learners in voluntary reading: The effects and implications on EFL reading classes. Journal for the Education of Gifted Young Scientists, 7(4), 867–883. https://doi.org/10.17478/jegys.621021
Sholeh, A., Rosalina, N. E., & Weganova, R. (2020). The implementation of KWL (know, want to know, and learned) to improve students’ reading comprehension. IJEE (Indonesian Journal of English Education), 7(1), 22–31. https://doi.org/10.15408/ijee.v7i1.15541
Sulaiman, S., Mohamad, M., Aziz, A. A., Khairuddin, K. F., Mansor, A. N., & Alias, B. S. (2020). 21st century reading strategy program to read English reading material for primary school pupils. Creative Education, 11(8), 1289–1298. https://doi.org/10.4236/ce.2020.118095
Sulisworo, D., Fitrianawati, M., Maryani, I., Hidayat, S., Agusta, E., & Saputri, W. (2020). Students’ self-regulated learning (SRL) profile dataset measured during COVID-19 mitigation in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Data in Brief, 33, Article 106422. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2020.106422
Sutiono, C., Triana, N., & Arapah, E. (2022). Reading comprehension and self-regulated learning: A cross-sectional study of university students. Premise: Journal of English Education, 11(3), 419. https://doi.org/10.24127/pj.v11i3.4747
Ya’acob, A., Latiff, R. A., Rashid, T., Othman, S., & Mushahar, R. H. R. (2020). R.E.A.P strategy: Developing ESL learners as critical readers. International Journal of Scientific and Technology Research.
Zimmerman, B. J. (2008). Investigating self-regulation and motivation: Historical background, methodological developments, and future prospects. American Educational Research Journal, 45(3), 166–185. https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831207312909
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Umi Tursini, Agus Sholeh, Nara Sari, Siti Mafulah
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors can separately make additional contractual arrangements for non-exclusive distribution published by the journal (e.g., publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are allowed and encouraged to send their work via online (e.g., in the institutional repositories or their website) after published by the journal.
