Beyond Individual Self-Regulated Learning: Examining Help-Seeking, Peer Networks, and Achievement Through Social Network Analysis
European Conference on Educational Research, Tampere, Finlandiya, 18 - 21 Ağustos 2026, ss.1-2, (Tam Metin Bildiri)
- Yayın Türü: Bildiri / Tam Metin Bildiri
- Basıldığı Şehir: Tampere
- Basıldığı Ülke: Finlandiya
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.1-2
- TED Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Beyond Individual Self-Regulated Learning: Examining Help-Seeking, Peer Networks, and Achievement Through Social Network Analysis
Christoforos Mamas1, Seda Aydan2, Lambri Trisokka Mamas3
1: University of California, San Diego, United States of America; 2: TED University, Ankara, Turkey; 3: Independent Researcher
Presenting Author: Mamas, Christoforos; Aydan, Seda
Self-regulated learning research increasingly recognizes that learning is not an isolated process as students regulate their learning in classrooms that contain peers, norms, expectations, and relational structures. One of the clearest socially dependent SRL strategies is help-seeking, which requires learners to identify knowledgeable others, navigate social costs, and build relational capital. Yet, despite its inherent social nature, help-seeking is still predominantly studied through surveys and individual-level variables. In parallel, research in social network analysis provides robust tools to capture the structure of peer interactions, including who students turn to for help, who they trust, and how access to peers relates to academic success (Tabassum et al., 2018). This study brings these fields together by examining classroom help-seeking through network indicators, most centrally in-degree, representing how many peers nominate a student as a source of help. By embedding SRL processes within peer networks, we aim to better understand how students’ access to social resources supports or constrains achievement.
We focus on two aspects of social positioning: (a) being sought out for help (help-seeking in-degree) and (b) reciprocal friendship ties. These constructs allow us to investigate how peer structures shape learning outcomes, moving SRL theory toward a more socialized understanding of help-seeking.
2. Theoretical Framework
Zimmerman’s (2000) cyclical SRL model consists of forethought, performance, and self-reflection phases. Help-seeking is located in the performance phase as a resource management strategy. It includes adaptive help-seeking (seeking hints, explanations, scaffolds), instrumental help-seeking (aiming to understand, not just get answers) and peer-directed help navigation (selecting appropriate peers) (Gonida et al. 2019; Newman, 1994). Zimmerman (2000) emphasizes that successful self-regulators do not only rely on internal strategies but also on strategic use of environmental resources, including peers. Effective SRL therefore requires the capacity to evaluate who to approach, when, and how (Karabenick & Berger, 2013).
Studies (e.g. Fong et al., 2023) also show that students who engage in adaptive help-seeking demonstrate higher engagement, motivation, and achievement. However, help-seeking is constrained by classroom social norms; students with fewer friendships or lower social status may be less likely to seek help even when needed (Liu, 2017). Therefore, help-seeking should be understood as both a metacognitive and a relational process. However, typical SRL studies measure help-seeking as self-reports, largely missing its relational and social components. When help-seeking is conceptualized structurally, as patterns of nominations within a classroom, SRL becomes more aligned with actual learning environments. Our study operationalizes help-seeking as network in-degree, meaning the extent to which a learner is recognized by peers as a source of assistance. This view integrates SRL strategy use with social recognition and embeddedness.
2.2 Social Network Analysis and Learning
Social network analysis (SNA) examines social interactions as relational data rather than individual attributes. In education, it has been used to study academic support, friendship, collaboration, and sense of belonging (Mamas et al., 2019). Key SNA concepts relevant to this study include:
- In-degree centrality: number of incoming help nominations; a proxy for social visibility or perceived expertise.
- Reciprocated friendship ties: mutual recognition of friendship, often associated with trust, emotional safety, and open communication.
- Network interactions: combinations of multiple network features that may jointly influence learning outcomes.
Research shows that students who are central in academic support networks typically perform better, possibly due to increased access to explanations, feedback, and cognitive elaboration opportunities (Black et al., 2025; Saqr et al., 2022). Yet studies rarely connect these network benefits to SRL constructs such as help-seeking. By integrating SRL and SNA, we position help-seeking not merely as “asking for help” but as an embedded resource management strategy shaped by the peer ecology of the classroom.
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources Used
Research questions:
RQ 1. To what extent do students’ in-degree centrality in the help-seeking network predict their end-of-term achievement scores?
RQ 2. Does the number of reciprocated friendship ties correlate with the frequency of being nominated as a help source, and does this combination relate to higher achievement?
The study employed a quantitative, cross-sectional social network analysis design embedded in classroom-based self-regulated learning research. Peer nomination data were used to construct classroom-bounded help-seeking and friendship networks. Help-seeking was operationalized as in-degree centrality, representing the extent to which a student was nominated by peers as a source of academic assistance. Academic achievement was measured using end-of-term performance scores. Linear regression analyses with classroom fixed effects were conducted to examine the extent to which network-based help-seeking and reciprocated friendship ties predicted academic achievement.
Data were collected from 10 elementary classrooms in a school in Cyprus. A total of 227 students were enrolled across classrooms. Of these, 213 students (93.8%) completed the network questionnaire and were included in inferential analyses.
• Gender: 108 female (50.7%), 105 male (49.3%)
• Language background:
o English-dominant: 46%
o Greek-dominant: 38%
o Other languages (Syrian, Romanian, Bulgarian, Russian, Arabic): 16%
• Ethnic origin reflected a multicultural population typical of international schooling.
• Special Educational Need and Disability (SEND): 8% of students were identified with SEND and retained in descriptive analyses.
Across classrooms, students received an average help-seeking in-degree of 3.21 nominations (SD = 1.87), indicating moderate differentiation in perceived academic support roles. The number of reciprocated friendship ties ranged from 0 to 7, with a mean of 2.64 (SD = 1.55).
6.2 RQ1: Help-Seeking In-Degree and Achievement
A linear regression model predicting academic achievement from help-seeking in-degree (controlling for classroom membership) revealed a significant positive effect, β = .34, p < .001.
Students who were more frequently nominated as help sources demonstrated higher end-of-term performance. This effect remained stable across classrooms, suggesting that social recognition as a help provider constitutes a meaningful academic resource beyond individual ability alone.
6.3 RQ2: Friendship Reciprocity, Help-Seeking, and Achievement
Reciprocated friendship ties were positively correlated with help-seeking in-degree, r = .41, p < .001, indicating that trusted peer relationships increase the likelihood of being approached for academic help.
A multiple regression including both predictors showed that:
• Help-seeking in-degree remained a significant predictor of achievement (β = .29, p < .001),
• Reciprocated friendship ties also contributed uniquely (β = .18, p = .014).
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or Findings
Together, these findings indicate that academic support roles are embedded within reciprocal, trust-based peer relationships that jointly support learning outcomes.
6.4 Gender Moderation Analysis
The interaction between help-seeking in-degree and gender was not statistically significant (β = .05, p = .42), indicating that the relationship between being nominated as a help source and academic achievement did not differ meaningfully between boys and girls.
7. Discussion
This study provides empirical evidence that help-seeking, a core SRL strategy, functions as a socially embedded learning resource rather than merely an individual regulatory behavior. Students who occupy central positions in help-seeking networks demonstrate higher academic achievement, likely due to increased opportunities for explanation, elaboration, and metacognitive engagement. The strong association between reciprocated friendship and help-seeking highlights the role of relational trust in enabling adaptive SRL strategies. These findings extend Zimmerman’s SRL model by showing that effective regulation involves not only strategic action but also social recognition and embeddedness within peer ecologies. Furthermore, the absence of gender moderation suggests that network-based academic advantages operate similarly across genders in this context, reinforcing the generalizability of socially situated SRL processes.
8. Limitations and Implications
While the cross-sectional design limits causal inference, the study demonstrates the methodological value of integrating SNA with SRL research. Practically, educators may support SRL by fostering collaborative norms and peer trust structures that facilitate adaptive help-seeking.
9. Conclusion
By operationalizing help-seeking as a structural network indicator, this study advances a socially grounded understanding of self-regulated learning and underscores the importance of peer ecologies in shaping academic success.
References
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