ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY STUDENTS' SELF-REGULATION: A BASELINE

Technology is evolving at a very rapid rate in today's society. Even though engineering students get acquainted with state-of-the-art technological advancements, these often get outdated dur- ing the engineers' careers. It is therefore of major importance that engineers learn to learn for a lifetime, in order to train their personal competencies and to keep up with technological innovations. Currently, there is no framework that defines the umbrella competency lifelong learning (LLL). It is certain, however, that self-regulation is a core and malleable competency for LLL. This research presents Flemish engineering students' self-regulation levels, measured using the Self-Reflection and Insight Scale (SRIS). The SRIS consists of three subscales: en- gagement in self-reflection, need for self-reflection, and insight. The scores are looked at from different angles, such as across study phases and by taking into account background variables like secondary education (SE) type and sex. In general, master students report the highest level of self-regulation. Most notably, students with a more technical SE-background report higher levels of self-regulation in the master year than in the bachelor years, whereas students with a more general SE-background do not. Male and female students' self-regulation is at roughly the same level, but influenced by the underlying subscales.