Date of Award

Fall 2025

Language

English

Embargo Period

12-1-2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

College/School/Department

Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology

Program

Educational Psychology and Methodology

First Advisor

Heidi Andrade

Committee Members

Mariola Moeyaert, Dylan Wiliam

Keywords

formative assessment, self-regulated learning, meta-analysis

Subject Categories

Educational Psychology

Abstract

Does formative assessment (FA) promote self-regulated learning (SRL)? Theoretically, FA has long been believed to facilitate SRL due to their overlapping conceptual frameworks, yet empirical evidence has remained scattered and inconclusive. This study presents the first comprehensive, large-scale meta-analysis to examine whether, to what extent, for whom, and under what conditions FA enhances SRL.

Following a preregistered, PRISMA-guided protocol, we systematically searched the literature from 1998 to 2024 and synthesized 999 effect sizes from 138 studies (n = 23,293 students) using multilevel meta-analytic models that accounted for dependent effects. Across educational levels and contexts, FA, on average, demonstrated a statistically significant, positive impact on SRL (g= .46, 95% CI [.35, .58]). Moreover, FA was found to have statistically significant positive effects across all SRL components—cognitive processes, metacognition, motivational regulation, and regulation of behavior and context—though with considerable heterogeneity. Moreover, FA was found to have statistically significant positive effects across all SRL components—cognitive processes, metacognition, motivational regulation, and regulation of behavior and context—though with considerable heterogeneity.

A comprehensive set of theoretically derived moderators was examined to examine for whom and under what conditions FA most effectively promotes SRL. Two moderators, the type of SRL outcome measure and the number of feedback sources, emerged as statistically significant, suggesting that methodological choices and the integration of multiple feedback sources shape observed effects. While other intervention, learner, and contextual factors were not statistically significant, consistent descriptive patterns provide insights that may challenge several prevailing theoretical assumptions about the relationships between FA and SRL.

The credibility of outcome in primary studies was assessed using What Works Clearinghouse standards, and the certainty of synthesized evidence was rated with the GRADE framework. Although the overall effect was large, the certainty of evidence was rated low due to substantial heterogeneity, underscoring both the promise and fragility of the current evidence base.

Overall, this study lends robust empirical support to the long-held theoretical claim that FA promotes SRL development while advancing a refined theoretical and methodological agenda for future research. Implications are discussed for (a) educators in tailoring FA to support SRL, (b) policymakers in making evidence-based decisions, and (c) researchers in advancing more precise, transparent, and context-sensitive investigations.

Comments

Please use my preferred (publication) name for Recommended Citation:

Yu, Elie ChingYen. (2025). Effects of formative assessment on students’ regulation of learning: A meta-analysis [Doctoral dissertation, University at Albany]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.

License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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