Abstract

This study researched the relevance of culture for self-regulatory behaviours in 8 to 9 year-olds from Chile and England (n=49; Myrs=9.07; SDyrs=0.34). Children’s planning, goal-checking, monitoring actions, awareness of errors, effective control of problems, learning from errors, evaluation, cognitive strategies, and persistence were studied. Each participant carried out 11-13 cube assembly tasks (300+ per country). Children behaviours and task achievement were rated using observational scales from the SBOS-II (Krippendorff alphas=0.70–0.91, inter-rater reliability). Factor Analysis and Multiple Regressions were conducted. Results evidenced important links between culture and behaviour functionality. Specifically, evaluation actions did not load as part of any self-regulation factor in Chile; goal-checking actions had non-strategic function only in Chile; and children’s behaviours explained much more variance of a ‘strategic approach’ factor in England than in Chile (44% v. 17%). Furthermore, monitoring, evaluation and persistence accounted for effects of effective control of problems on task achievement only in England. Considering the previously documented high emphasis on monitoring and strategy for learning in English relative to Chilean classrooms, results suggest children’s behaviours are likely to gain their self-regulatory and productive functionality from culture-specific education practices.