GoaLearn App: A Goal-Setting and Monitoring Application to Support Students’ Self-regulated Learning

Self-regulated learning (SRL) stands as a crucial competency for learners in the 21st century. Research showed that equipped with strategies to regulate their learning and development, students demonstrated higher academic achievements and increased motivation. However, many students, across all age groups, often lack these essential SRL skills or struggle to effectively apply them. This challenge is exacerbated in digital and remote educational settings, where students operate autonomously without the traditional support provided in face-to-face learning environments. Grounded in Zimmerman’s SRL model and the latest educational psychology research, we have developed an educational application, GoaLearn App, aimed at supporting students’ SRL process. This application is designed to equip students with the necessary tools and guidance to take charge of their learning experience, set academic goals, manage tasks, and effectively monitor their progress. One notable feature is its incorporation of SRL prompts and surveys to facilitate reflection at various learning stages, a component often absent in existing goal-setting apps or planners. To address the specific needs of middle school students, this application includes functionalities such as class enrolment and shared goal and task templates provided by teachers. Currently, the application is being tested in middle schools across three countries as a part of a European project. It has gathered significant interests from teachers to utilize it for SRL skill development in students. Through the collection of real-world data, our goal is to refine and enhance GoaLearn, ultimately empowering students at different age groups to become active agents in their learning journey.