Self-control and self-monitoring behaviour of gifted learners in the mathematical problem-solving process: A case study

In the study reported on here we used a qualitative case study design to examine the self-control and self-monitoring behaviour of gifted learners in problem-solving processes. We selected 3 gifted secondary learners using the purposeful sampling method. For the study, each learner completed 10 individual problem-solving sessions. A think-aloud protocol as well as observations and interviews were used in each problem-solving session. The gifted learners displayed various and intertwined self-control and self-monitoring behaviour to read, understand, and solve the problems, and to find and verify the answer. They also displayed this behaviour much more frequently in problems that required using visual drawings and/or had long texts. The gifted learners left or adapted self-control behaviour when the behaviour did not work for solving mathematical problems. They made decisions regarding self-control behaviour by means of the self-monitoring process. The participants presented insistent, quick, flexible, and fluent actions for both self-control and self-monitoring processes. Based on our findings, we propose a portrait of gifted learners’ self-regulative behaviour in the mathematical problem-solving process.