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AD ALTA

JOURNAL OF INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH

Graph 2 Frequency of occurrence of regulatory styles by degree
of study – natural science.

On the graph above we can see that the value of the average RAI
score in the 3rd year rose the sharpest. Remarkable is the more
significant decrease in the average RAI score in the last year of
master's studies. Testing the differences between the individual
years showed that there are no significant differences between
them. This fact may be caused by a relatively balanced
occurrence of the identified style of regulation, which is an
autonomous type of regulation classified as external motivation.

The third research question was: What are the differences
between full-time and part-time students? We did not observe
statistically significant differences between the individual forms
of the study. Remarkably, in the external form of the study, there
was a lower incidence of the external regulatory style and a
higher incidence of the identified regulatory style. We assume
that this difference may be because external students are of a
higher age category than full-time students, there is the impact of
a certain life experience. Also, the possible impact of the fact
that they decided to study more voluntarily (without social
pressure, which we perceive at full-time students as more
significant due to social expectations). There is also a
consideration associated with the financing of self-study for
students of external forms of study, as well as greater
responsibility for the success of studies.

In the fourth research question, we found out what the
differences between the individual faculties are. In the case of
subjects focused on science education, the most varied
differences in the occurrence of individual regulatory styles
between the faculties became apparent. In the case of the faculty
in Ružomberok, internal motivation is significantly the most
frequently represented (37%). In the case of the faculty in
Bratislava, it is external regulation (34%) and in the group from
the faculty in Banská Bystrica it was internal motivation (33%).
Further testing confirmed that the differences in RAI scores
among faculties are significant. More detailed testing showed
that the difference in average RAI between the faculty in
Ružomberok and Bratislava is significant. The difference
between the faculty in Ružomberok and the sample from Banská
Bystrica is insignificant. Finally, the difference between the
faculty in Bratislava and the sample from Banská Bystrica is
significant. Based on these findings, we can state that while at
the faculty in Ružomberok and in the sample from Banská
Bystrica, autonomy supporting the setting of motivation
predominates, the control style of motivation predominates at the
faculty in Bratislava. Despite these specifics provided by the
analysis of the frequency of occurrence of regulatory styles,
further testing between faculties of the average RAI score values
showed us that there are no significant differences among the
faculties in the field of science education. For better structuring,
we relied on the method of SWOT analysis when framing
observations and suggestions for research results. We use it as a
tool to summarize suggestions, observations and other
considerations related to the results of our research.

Table 2 SWOT analysis of results and recommendations of
research findings.

STRENGHTS

(characteristics that can help to

achieve the goal)

WEAKNESSES (characteristics that
make it difficult to achieve the goal)

Natural science

Significantly higher representation of
internal sources of motivation in the
regulation of science learning.

Significant representation of external
regulation of learning at the beginning
of the study and associated more
negative (more cautious) attitudes
towards science subjects.

Autonomy is dominated by autonomy
supporting the setting of the style of
motivation to learn during their
studies.

Low efficiency of the method of self-
regulation of science learning at the
beginning of the study.

OPPORTUNITIES

(external conditions that may help to

achieve the goal)

THREATS

(external conditions that may make it

difficult to achieve the goal)

Natural science

Systemic guidance of students to
create their own portfolio as a means
of their trajectory of their own learning
and development.

Not very positive attitude towards
science subjects at the beginning of the
study.

Analysis of the influences leading to
the regrouping of regulatory styles in
the third year of study.

The control style of motivation ranges
from 60 to 40% of students throughout
the study. In all years, the occurrence
of external style prevails over
introjection.

Also, an analysis of the causes of such
a low incidence of identified
regulatory style in all three years of
study.

Internal motivation is maintained from
the third year to the final year in the
range from 33 to 37% and its increase
in the third year no longer increases its
occurrence.

Support for research-oriented
education using elements of social
constructivism. Less theory more
practice (experiments). Use the
interconnection of subjects in the style
of Anglo-Saxon "sciences" and not the
differentiated model that is typical for
our education system (divided of
subjects already at the primary level of
education into natural science and
geography).

The identified regulatory learning style
tends to decrease with the higher year
of study, still around 15%. It is a
regulatory style in which the student
has internally values of importance to
learn a given subject.

4 Results and discussion

Based on the research investigation, we came to these answers in
relation to the research questions:



The most important research finding was found between
the bachelor's and master's degrees. While at the beginning
of the study the external style of regulation and controlling
motivation prevails among the students, from the third year
of the bachelor's and the last two years of the master's
degree, the internal motivation to learn science subjects
significantly prevails.



Regarding science education, style of motivation
supporting autonomy has been shown to prevail.



In the field of science education, we found significant
differences between the faculty in Bratislava and other
faculties. The external style of regulation was statistically
significantly more frequent than at other faculties. The
identified regulatory style and internal motivation were
significantly less frequent at the Faculty of Bratislava than
at other faculties. No significant differences were found
between the faculties in Banská Bystrica and Ružomberok.

As we can see in Table 2 from the point of view of scientific
disciplines to the strengths in the third year of bachelor's study
and in the last two years of master's degree we include a higher
incidence of internal motivation as well as autonomous learning
style, which we understand as requirement of regulation of self-
behaviour in meaning of achieving requested science literacy.
From the above we propose the creation of autonomy supporting
environment in the first two years of the bachelor's degree and
its further support in other years of study, as well as developing
external motivation (identified regulation, which is a natural part
of our environment and active student interaction with his
environment) in both degrees at all monitored faculties. As a
weakness in science education, at all monitored faculties, we
consider a not very positive attitude towards science subjects at
the beginning of the study. In order to achieve the goals of self-
regulatory learning in science disciplines, it seems important to
us that the teacher has a suitable strategy for teaching in order to

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