Using instruments aimed at self-regulation in the consecutive interpreting classrooms : two case studies

Abstract

The aim of the research is to investigate the self-regulation processes in consecutive interpreting learning in the context of formal teaching in the university sphere. More specifically, we are interested in finding out about the relationship between consciousness of learning and learner autonomy based on the study of the selfregulation processes that result from the incorporation of teaching actions aimed explicitly at encouraging the process of reflection on learning itself. This research is part of a broader dissertation whose aim is to investigate the effect of the incorporation, into an education context, of mediation instruments for encouraging self-regulation processes in learners. The specific aim of this paper, however, is to present the results arising from a particular teaching action; that is the introduction of the metacognitive guide instrument in the classroom for beginners in consecutive interpreting, focusing on two case studies. Conceptually, our research takes as its main theoretical reference the area of the learner autonomy and its direct relationship with self-regulation processes. The theoretical assumptions can be found in the principles of the socio-cultural theory of learning (Lantolf, 2000). Methodologically, we apply the criteria of ethnographic research . Among the main results obtained, the mediation instrument 'metacognitive guide' proves to be valid forms for verbalizing metacognitive reflection. At the same time, the analysis shows that self-regulation of learning itself develops in a cyclical and open process of reflection that shows different degrees or levels, making up a dynamic process. In this sense, the identification of different degrees of self-regulation can help to integrate and work with the metacognitive component in the classroom and in drawing up a learning-to-learn program that respects the micro-processes related to the levels of consciousness identified and which should prove useful for teaching purposes.