Investigating the Relationship between English as a Foreign Language Students’ Self-Regulation and Their Classroom Engagement

Abstract

Classroom engagement plays a crucial role in shaping the learning outcomes and overall academic success of students. Similarly, self-regulation has been recognized as a key determinant of students' achievements. Recognizing the significance of these two constructs the current study delves into these two notions together. It investigates the possible relationship between EFL master students’ self-regulation and their classroom engagement at Biskra University. Therefore, the primary objective of this research is to investigate whether a relationship exists between self-regulation and students' classroom engagement among EFL master students enrolled at Biskra University. Additionally, this study seeks to uncover the self-regulation strategies employed by EFL students and gain insights into the active participation strategies in classroom activities. Furthermore, the study highlights Biskra University EFL teachers' perceptions of students' engagement in relation to self-regulation. To achieve comprehensive findings, a mixed method approach was adopted, ensuring a robust interpretation and description of the collected data. The study utilized two main data collection tools: a semi-structured questionnaire administered to 20 EFL master one students and a semi structured interview conducted with 5 EFL university teachers. The findings of this study reveal a positive relationship between self-regulation and classroom engagement among EFL master students. Moreover, the research provides valuable insights into the diverse self regulation strategies employed by students and the effective approaches utilized to enhance engagement. Additionally, the results highlight Biskra University EFL teachers’ perceptions on EFL master students’ classroom engagement in relation to self-regulation. This understanding has the potential to improve teaching practices, foster self-regulatory skills, and promote student engagement within EFL learning contexts