Summarising the Evidence from the Analysis of Student Data

The analysis of student data presented in Section 4.2 supports the conclusion that, in a general sense, there was evidence of strong support for the AcAd Program from students in the survey group. Student data constituted evidence that most students looked forward to their AcAd meetings and found the program to be beneficial. Students were able to draw a clear distinction between the role of the AcAd and the role of the teacher. The majority of the student survey group stated that they were not self-regulating prior to the start of the program, and some of those who believed they had been self-regulating believed that the program had improved their capacity to self-regulate. These data were confirmed by data from the AcAd survey, but data from the parent/caregiver survey indicated that parents/caregivers were not sure whether or not their child was self- regulating prior to entering the program.

Self-regulatory processes formed the first theme in the category of self-regulation. Students claimed they had set meaningful goals while involved in the program, and data from AcAds and parents/caregivers supported this conclusion. However, students were less inclined to claim that they had written down these goals. Data from the parent/caregiver survey was introduced at this point to confirm that, while students appeared to have goals, they were not necessarily writing them down or discussing them with their parents/caregivers. Goal-setting was a frequently referred to aspect of the self- regulatory processes theme.

Task strategies, also part of the self-regulation category, were the most dominant of the eight themes analysed. There were a relatively high number of coded comments from students identifying organisational strategies and time management as principal concerns within this theme. Self-motivational belief was the final theme in the self-regulation category, and the self-efficacy dimension of this theme was dominant. Data from the student survey indicated that students believed their self-efficacy was increasing over time. Their views were supported by data from the AcAd and parent/caregiver surveys.

Various dimensions combined under the theme of learning relationships, with the first of the themes analysed in the learning power category. Student data indicated that many students valued their relationship with their AcAds. They particularly valued their one- on-one relationship and the trust they placed in their AcAds, who were sometimes described as mentors. The fragility and dependence theme was dominated by students’ focus on anxiety/stress associated with schoolwork. Numerous students stated that the AcAd Program had helped them to overcome problems in this area. There was some evidence that students saw themselves as less dependent on their teachers, although the school-based assessment system was identified as a logical explanation for why students continued to be dependent. Nonetheless, with respect to the strategic awareness theme, there was evidence that students were extending their networks beyond the classroom, and some students pointed to their increasing awareness of their learning environment and a preparedness to access a range of learning resources. There was evidence that some students were taking a more proactive approach to their learning. Evidence of expanding learning networks and a more proactive approach to accessing resources, including teachers, were seen as positive developments with regard to the overall strategy of positioning students for success in a personalized learning environment.

The sample group of students did not provide an abundance of data with respect to the theme of meaning making. However, a number indicated that they valued the opportunity to reflect when they met with their AcAd. An undertone of greater satisfaction and sense of purpose was detected in these data. Similarly, data relevant to the changing and learning theme was less apparent, but nonetheless present in the comments made by students. A number referred to the program’s positive impact on their life, both inside and

outside of school, and indicated that they enjoyed learning about themselves, particularly with respect to themselves as learners.

The relative emphasis given to each of the themes extracted from the 2015 student survey, which formed part of the analysis in Section 4.2, are illustrated in Figure 4.4.

Figure 4.4 Relative frequency with which themed coded comments were present in the 2015 student survey

Coded comments from the 2015 student survey, which involved the greatest number of students, compared with the other sources of student data, indicated that the themes of task strategies and self-regulatory processes were of primary interest to students in the survey group. Both themes were in the self-regulation category. Learning relationships were of significant interest to students in the survey group and appeared to underpin the work of the AcAds. Themes within the self-regulation category were slightly more prevalent that themes in the learning power category. The relative frequency with which these categories appeared in the 2015 survey data is illustrated in Figure 4.5.

Self-regulatory processes, 23% Task strategies, 25% Self- motivational beliefs, 4% Learning relationships, 14% Fragility and dependence , 6% Strategic awareness, 4% Meaning making, 5% Changing and learning, 18%

Figure 4.5 Relative frequency with which themed coded comments relating to self- regulation and dimensions of learning power were present in the

2015 student survey

Qualitative data from student responses to the 2015 survey revealed that coded comments relating to self-regulation appeared a little more frequently than comments relating to learning power. However, care should be taken not to consider learning power to be less significant than the category of self-regulation. It is true that students focused much of their attention of task strategies when they identified the benefits of the AcAd Program, but their data also highlighted the importance they placed on their relationships with their AcAds. These relationships set the foundations for improvements in self-regulation and learning power.

4.3 Perceptions of Parents/Caregivers of Students in the AcAd Program

Supporting Research Question 2 asked, ‘What are the perceptions of the parents/caregivers of students in the AcAd Program, particularly in relation to the role of the AcAd and the impact of the program on the students’ level of self-regulation and learning power?’

Data from the quantitative and qualitative components of a 2015 student survey were employed to answer this question. Data from participating parents were analysed in sections that grouped together the parents’/caregivers’ quantitative and qualitative responses into three broad categories. Data relating to the parents’/caregivers’ overall level of support for the program are presented in section 4.3.1. Data relating to

Self- regulation 53% Learning power 47%

parents’/caregivers’ perceptions regarding the role of the AcAd are presented in section 4.3.2. Sections 4.2.3 to 4.2.10 analyse data from the various dimensions of self-regulation and learning power, and section 4.11 presents a summary of the analysis from sections 4.3.1 to 4.3.10.