In this study we examined the effectiveness of self-regulated
learning (SRL) training in facilitating college students’
science learning with hypermedia. Sixty (N = 60)
undergraduate students were randomly assigned to either a
training condition or a control condition and used a
hypermedia environment to learn about the circulatory
system. On Day 1, all participants were administered a pretest
and a self-report measure of SRL. On Days 2–4, participants
in the experimental group underwent 3-day training on the use
of specific, empirically based cognitive and metacognitive
SRL processes (e.g., judgment of learning, making
inferences) designed to foster their conceptual understanding;
control students received no training. Three weeks later (on
Day 5), all participants were administered a pretest on the
science topic and a self-report measure of SRL, and then used
a different version of the system to learn about another
science topic (i.e., the central nervous system). Verbal
protocol data were collected from both groups on Days 2–5.
Overall, there were no significant differences on several
learning outcome measures between conditions. However,
those in the training condition remembered significantly more
declarative knowledge of cognitive and metacognitive
strategies. Lastly, think-aloud protocol data showed
significant differences in the use of the SRL processes
immediately following training, but not following a 3-week
interval on a hypermedia transfer task.