1.2 OUTCOME OF STUDY
Within the context of a social studies class, students investigated ideas important to them in their
lives, and it was anticipated that they would be motivated to engage in the process of learning.
The success of project-based learning requires involvement that includes cognitive,
metacognitive, and collaborative factors. These factors define self-regulated learning. It has
been demonstrated (Zimmerman, Bandura, and Martinez-Pons, 1992) that a “significant causal
path exists between self-efficacy for self-regulated learning, efficacy for academic achievement,
and academic attainment” (p. 674). As a result, it was predicted that students develop and utilize
self-regulatory skills and become autonomous managers of their own learning as they
accomplish their project goals.