1.5 HYPOTHESES
The hypotheses in this study were structured as qualitative and quantitative.
Relationships between the concepts in this mixed method approach were examined as a cohesive
whole.
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1.5.1 Hypotheses for Qualitative Analysis
Two important aspects of students becoming self-regulated is their increasing ability to reflect on
their learning strategies and to process constructive feedback they receive from others as they
work toward the completion of their goals. The feedback process is an integral component of
project-based learning. This process gives students the opportunity to check the success of their
progress at various intervals and, thus, to determine whether they need to adjust their learning
strategies to achieve their goals. This study examines the following qualitative hypotheses:
1. Teaching strategies will emerge that have an impact on students’ self-regulatory behavior as
demonstrated by students’ responses on the Student Weekly Reflection Forms, teacherstudent
interviews and the Teacher’s Daily Log.
2. Students will identify which learning strategy, goal-setting, or time management
skills contributed to their overall capacity for self-regulation as demonstrated by students’
responses on the Student Weekly Reflection Forms, teacher-student interviews and the
Teacher’s Daily Log.
3. Both the teacher and the student will identify curricular activities of the
project-based learning experience that helped students accomplish their goals as demonstrated
by the students’ responses on the Student Weekly Reflection Forms.
1.5.2 Hypotheses for Quantitative Analysis
Instrumentation was used to gather data on students’ perceptions of their goal-setting strategies
and these findings were based on the following quantitative hypotheses:
4. Null hypothesis: There will be no change from the beginning to the end of the project-based
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learning experience in students’ mean scores on the Bandura Self-Efficacy for Self-
Regulated Learning Scale using a one-tailed t-test.
5. Null hypothesis: There will be no change from the beginning to the end of the project-based
learning experience in students’ pre/post mean scores on the Bandura Self-Efficacy for Self-
Regulated Learning Scale for students who scored high (the top 20%) on the pretest using a
one tailed t-test.
6. Null hypothesis: There will be no change from the beginning to the end of the project-based
learning experience in students’ pre/post mean scores on the Bandura Self-Efficacy for Self-
Regulated Learning Scale for students who scored low (the bottom 20%) on the pretest using
a one-tailed t-test.
7. There will be an increase from the beginning to the end of the project-based learning
experience in students’ goal accomplishment style mean scores on the Goal Orientation
Index (GOI) Part 1: the subscales (Acting, Planning, and Reflecting) and Part 2: the twelve
goal-oriented behaviors using a one-tailed t-test.
8. There will be an increase from the beginning to the end of the project-based learning
experience in students’ pre/post goal accomplishment style mean scores on the Goal
Orientation Index (GOI) who scored high (the top 20%) on the GOI Reflecting Subscale
pretest using a one-tailed t-test.
9. There will be an increase from the beginning to the end of the project-based learning
experience in students’ pre/post goal accomplishment style mean scores on the Goal
Orientation Index (GOI) who scored low (the bottom 20%) on the GOI Reflecting Subscale
pretest using a one-tailed t-test.
10.There will be a positive correlation between the students’ post-test scores on the Bandura
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Self-Efficacy for Self-Regulated Learning Scale and the Goal Orientation Index using a onetailed
t-test.