#1038: Facilitating High School Students’ Socially Shared Regulation of Learning Through STEM Inquiry into Local Air Quality and Asthma

This exploratory study examines how collaborative learning environments mediated by mobile technology facilitate socially shared regulation of learning (SSRL) in high school STEM education. Ten high school students in three small groups investigated local air quality and asthma using handheld sensors to collect indoor and outdoor data. We analyzed 3.5 hours of video data using interaction and thematic analysis guided by the cognitive dimensions of SSRL. Findings show that SSRL emerged most prominently in moments of uncertainty which catalyzed collective monitoring, hypothesis generation, and goal-directed planning. Three design features supported these processes: (1) structured autonomy that shifted troubleshooting from external support to student-led, (2) authentic inquiry that turned technological breakdowns into regulatory opportunities, and (3) real-world constraints that extended collaboration. The study contributes to understanding SSRL as a naturally occurring phenomenon in authentic high school STEM contexts and offers design principles for leveraging uncertainty for facilitating SSRL.