The Self-Regulation Of English Learning: A Longitudinal Study On L2 Learning Among Italian Primary School Students

Self-regulated learning refers to the ability to regulate one’s learning behavior, emotions and thoughts in a goal-directed manner. Due to its ability to include several variables that influence student learning, it is one of the most studied areas of research in educational psychology. However, learning changed radically in recent years. COVID-19 significantly affected all territories and contexts, not sparing primary school students. To date, there are countless questions about the effects of school closures on the learning of students. Through a systematic review (Study 1), this doctoral thesis contributes to shedding light on the learning conditions of such an affected population, highlighting changes in the cognitive, emotional and metacognitive fields in self-regulated learning contexts. Furthermore, despite being one of the fundamental subjects of the national surveys (INVALSI), as well as the first gateway to the world, there is no information about the learning of the second language in Italy, namely English. Therefore, this doctoral thesis continues with longitudinal research (Study 2) on the role of basic cognitive components (including L1 performance – Study 3), achievement emotions, and metacognition in L2 learning by Italian primary school post-pandemic students. The results highlighted a key role of working memory and metacognitive skills, as well as the constant presence of anxiety regarding the L2 over time. The doctoral thesis concludes with the psychometric analysis of a tool for investigating metacognitive, motivational and emotional skills in relation to L2: the English Metacognitive Questionnaire for Primary School (EMQ-PS – Study 4). This latter was developed to help professionals identifying the most at risk students and those in need of attention for an effective self-regulated learning.