Relationship between types of emotion regulation and reflective learning: Based on latent profile analysis

Abstract

This study investigated 704 high school students using Latent Profile Analysis to examine the relationship between types of emotion regulation and reflective learning. The analysis identified four latent categories of emotion regulation: low emotion regulation group (LERG) (14.8 %), moderate reappraisal-low suppression group (MRLSG) (58 %), low reappraisal-high suppression group (LRHSG) (8.4 %), and high reappraisal-moderate suppression group (HRMSG) (18.9 %). The results demonstrated that as age and grade increase, the students of LERG, MRLSG, and LRHSG will converge towards HRMSG and compared to males, females have a significantly lower proportion in the HRMSG than in the MRLSG. Significant differences were observed among these four categories in habits, understanding, reflection, and critical thinking behaviors, which represent different levels of cognitive and behavioral processes involved in reflective learning. Specifically, students in the HRMSG exhibited the highest levels of reflective learning behaviors, including well-developed study habits, deeper understanding of material, frequent reflection on their learning processes, and strong critical thinking skills. Conversely, students in the LERG showed the lowest levels in these areas. The findings of this study enhance teachers’ understanding of the emotion regulation characteristics within different subgroups of high school students and facilitate the adoption of effective educational strategies tailored to the specific characteristics of students to promote reflective learning and psychological health development. Additionally, this research provides empirical evidence for designing teaching strategies based on students’ types of emotion regulation.