Incremental validity of online over offline reports of volitional control in predicting learning success

Volitional control (i. e., efforts to maintain goal striving in the face of obstacles) is an integral part of self-regulated learning and an important factor for explaining individual differences in academic performance. However, differences between the various methods for assessing volitional control have rarely been investigated. Two common methods are (a) offline questionnaires, in which respondents aggregate experiences over a longer period of time, and (b) online questionnaires such as learning diaries, which assess respondents’ experiences close to the learning event. We compared these assessment approaches in 96 medical students who prepared for a high-stakes exam. Achievement of self-set learning goals was measured objectively via log-files of students’ activities on a learning platform. Daily reports of volitional control explained substantial variance in achievement of learning goals over and above the offline questionnaire, indicating incremental validity of online assessments of self-regulation. Moreover, the daily reports of volitional control could explain intra- individual day-to-day variance in goal achievement. The current study, thus, suggests that learning diaries, albeit cumbersome, have clear advantages over offline questionnaires.