Exploring Self-Regulated Learning Processes in Online Piano Tutorials among Young Beginners in China
Abstract
With the growing prevalence of online music education, understanding how piano beginners manage practice and progress in online environments is essential. This study adopts Zimmerman’s self-regulated learning (SRL) cyclical phases model to examine students’ development of planning, monitoring, and reflection behaviors during the online piano tutorials. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 11 online tutors and 11 parents whose children were taking online piano tutorials, as well as observations of 8 students. The study analyzed how tutor guidance and digital tools jointly shape students’ self-regulation. Findings showed that in the forethought phase, students rely heavily on tutors’ external cues for task planning and motivation. In the performance phase, students gradually use multiple strategies and digital tools to monitor their practice. In the self-reflection phase, students shift from attributing mistakes to uncontrollable factors toward more controllable causes and adjust strategies based on feedback. This study extends SRL theory to the context of online piano tutorials and offers theoretical and practical insights for online piano education.
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References
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