Webb, MaryHealy, LuluHadwen-Bennett, AlexAlajaji, Deema2026-06-042026Alajaji, D., Webb, M., & Healy, L. (2026). Supporting Fifth-Grade Students’ Socially Shared Regulated Learning with E-Tools in Collaborative Scientific Inquiry: A Design-Based Research Study.https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14154/79130noneContemporary science curricula increasingly encourage inquiry-based tasks within computer-supported collaborative learning environments (CSCL) to develop both conceptual understanding and lifelong learning skills. Within these contexts, socially shared regulation of learning (SSRL) enables students to coordinate efforts, learn from one another, and complete collaborative tasks effectively. Despite SSRL's importance for group coordination and task success, younger students often struggle with shared regulation and display unequal participation in regulatory processes. Limited research has focused on supporting SSRL amongst primary-aged learners through digital means. Additionally, existing research often focuses on individual cognitive regulation, overlooking the broader, multifaceted nature of SSRL, which encompasses cognitive, behavioural, motivational, and socioemotional dimensions. Furthermore, whilst several models explain how SSRL occurs, frameworks for supporting SSRL remain scarce. This study employed design-based research (DBR) methodology to explore how e-tools can support SSRL amongst fifth-grade students (aged 10–11) engaged in scientific inquiry within CSCL environments. Through three iterative design cycles, I developed and refined digital tools to support SSRL, guided by three research questions examining whether e-tools supported targeted SSRL phases, how students regulated their learning, and students' perceptions of the tools' influence. Findings from each cycle helped identify design challenges and affordances and informed design decisions for the subsequent design cycle. Data collection in each cycle involved video recordings and classroom observations of two groups, students' input within the e-tools, and post-task focus groups to explore their perceptions. I qualitatively analysed all collected data through multiple methods. Video recordings and observational data were transcribed and analysed using a multi-level analysis method based on the COPES model of SSRL to assess whether e-tools supported targeted stages of SSRL. Students' input within the e-tools was analysed and categorised 4 based on the phases of SSRL they supported and their alignment with e-tool objectives. Focus group transcriptions underwent thematic analysis to understand students' experiences and perceptions of the e-tools. Findings indicate that the effectiveness of SSRL-support e-tools depends on multiple factors, which are the design of the e-tools and the SSRL processes they support, task complexity and structure, prompt design, timing of integration into classroom practice, and teacher guidance. E-tools were most effective when embedded within complex, open-ended tasks that demanded sustained SSRL. Students responded more meaningfully when the use and timing of e-tools were flexible and aligned with their learning needs, rather than fixed at predetermined intervals (start, middle, and end of task). Concise prompts that focused on specific SSRL processes, such as goal setting, recursive evaluation of goals, and the externalisation of emotions, promoted engagement with the e-tools, whereas overly detailed or repetitive prompts led to disengagement and negative perceptions. Integrating planning, evaluation, and socioemotional regulation into a single digital platform, as trialled in the third design cycle, supported the recursive nature of SSRL and enhanced students’ externalisation of SSRL, students’ perceptions, and engagement. Additionally, providing space for socioemotional expression enabled students to externalise negative emotions; however, in instances where this was insufficient to resolve challenges, teacher intervention in facilitating SE e-tools played a critical role. Overall, teacher support was essential in modelling goal setting, guiding constructive emotional expression, encouraging engagement with the e-tools, and helping students address challenges that they were unable to resolve independently. This research contributes empirically grounded design principles and a practical model for supporting SSRL in upper primary CSCL contexts, providing guidance for educators, instructional designers, and curriculum developers. Whilst limitations include small sample size and implementation in selective IB schools, the study establishes a foundation for future research in diverse educational settings and the potential integration of generative AI to support student regulatory processes.536enEducational TechnologyEdTechSocially Shared Regulated LearningE-ToolsDesign-Based ResearchCollaborative Scientific InquiryScientific InquiryThesis