Techniques to Enhance Students’ Self-Regulation in an EFL Blended Learning Context: A Case Study

Blended learning has emerged as a new and significant instructional environment for students in the last few decades, especially during Covid-19 pandemic. Although studies suggest that self-regulatory attributes are one of the key features relating to students’ success in blended ESL/EFL classes, to enhance such abilities poses a challenge to teachers. This research was an attempt to investigate some techniques to boost self-regulation that are essential to support learners and provide some indicators for course design. To fulfill the purpose of this study, a group of 20 high school students were involved in a writing course designed in blended learning context with different techniques employed to increase students’ autonomy in both pre- and post- reading stages. Critical analysis of extensive reading texts and online forums proved to be the most effective in this case study. Other implications for course designers focused on the relative importance of the four aspects of self-regulated learning strategies, namely cognitive, metacognitive, motivational and environment.