Exploring Online Self-regulated Learning from a Sociocultural Perspective: The Case of Eight High-achieving EFL Learners

Abstract

High-achieving language learners’ effective learning strategies have always been the research focus in the field of second-language acquisition. In recent years, with the rapid development of information technology, the research topic of English language learners’ online self-regulation has become increasingly important. This qualitative inquiry investigated the features of eight high-achieving students’ online self-regulated learning with a focus on how they strategically improve their English listening and speaking proficiency from a sociocultural perspective. Participants were English as a foreign language (EFL) learner at a comprehensive university in China. Data were collected from in-depth and face-to-face interviews. Using the activity theory to interpret these data, four types of self-regulatory strategies were identified, namely, artefact-mediated, rule-mediated, community-mediated, and role-mediated strategies. The results inform the development of pedagogical schemes to enhance EFL learners’ listening and speaking proficiency through online self-regulated learning.