Students’ approaches to self-regulated learning Eva Österlind, UTEP, University of Stockholm In Sweden a method of organizing the student’s work, called ‘own work’ has expanded during the last decades (Carlgren et al 2006; Österlind 2005). It differs from the traditional classroom organization in that pupils, mostly in grade 1–6, are allowed a measure of freedom to decide for themselves for example when to work on the different school subjects. Individualized or independent school work (IW) has also been referred to as a Self-Schedule System (Wang & Stiles 1976), and more recently as self-regulated learning. Another example is the ‘project work’ that has been introduced at all study programmes in Swedish upper secondary school. Such teaching methods affect the roles of teachers and students, and the demands for student responsibility (Lundström 2006; Naeslund 2001, 2005; Ståhle 2006; Söderström 2006). The purpose here is to describe students’ approaches to self-regulated learning practices. The empirical study rests on data from student interviews about different kinds of self-regulated schoolwork. The students were interviewed in grade 4–6, in grade 7–9 and in the last semester of upper secondary school (Österlind 1998, 2001, 2005). The description is mainly based on a phenomenographical analysis, and to some extent tendencies in students’ development over time will be explored (cf. Hasselgren 1981; Lindblad 1983; Marton 1986). Special interest will be given to approaches that from an educational point of view are seen as problematic in relation to self-regulated schoolwork. The expected result will shed some light on the relationship between approaches to self-regulated learning and outcomes in terms of final grades at the end of secondary school. The fostering aspects (Broady 1980; Carlgren 2005) of this form of teaching and learning will be discussed. Bourdieu’s (1990) concept of habitus is used to understand the interplay between students’ socio-cultural background, their school experiences and approaches to self-regulated learning (cf. Korp 2006; Sandell 2007).

The expected result will shed some light on the relationship between approaches to self-regulated learning and outcomes in terms of final grades at the end of secondary school.