Can SRL be taken too Far?

    This is a question that has most likely plagued instructors for years. How much rope should I give my students? On one hand, we have a student who loves the challenge; they want to overcome the obstacle. They want to achieve the goal. At the other end, there are those who are afraid to take on the task for several reasons. They may doubt their ability to solve the issue, they may suffer from low self esteem, and they may fear failure or rejection (Bong, 1996). This is where instructors have to walk a fine line. They may have to incorporate several different strategies to get their point across to the entire class. There can also be a fear that if the students rely too much on learning things for themselves, they may miss valuable instruction that the teacher can provide them. You always as an instructor want to be a mentor to your students, but also give them the freedom to make some decisions for themselves.


Bong, M., (1996). Problems in academic motivation research and advantages and disadvantages of their solutions. Contemporary Educational Psychology 21(13), pg 149-165. Retreived from http://www.iapsych.com/articles/bong1996.pdf