A Phenomenological Analysis of the Self-Regulatory Behaviours of a Group of Young Adults in a Vocational Education and Training Business Program

Abstract

National Vocational Education and Training (VET) reforms have resulted in an increasing proportion of young adults in VET programs in Western Australia. A challenge for practitioners is to help them develop skills and attributes to facilitate lifelong learning. A need for further research into the self-regulation behaviour of this cohort has been identified. The primary research question was: What are the self-regulation behaviours of a group of 18-24 year olds while preparing a business assessment? Specifically: What were their help-seeking behaviours? How did they manage their time and study environment? This phenomenological study was concerned with understanding self-regulation behaviour as it was perceived by eight VET business students and their teachers. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken after submission of a written task. Quality control was achieved through a combination of data from participant and teacher interviews, and the researcher's interpretations. The self-regulatory behaviours of these learners were dependent on a range of factors. Findings provide the basis for further research into personality and self-regulation behaviour; learning difficulties and self-regulation behaviour; and the impact of technology distractions on time and effort. This paper outlines the background, methodology, results and conclusions of this investigation.