The effect of self-regulated learning on students’ mathematical concept understanding ability

Mathematical concept understanding is a fundamental competency in undergraduate calculus learning. However, students’ achievement in this area remains low, necessitating investigation of contributing factors, one of which is self-regulated learning. This study aimed to: (1) describe the levels of students’ self-regulated learning and mathematical concept understanding ability; and (2) analyze the effect of self-regulated learning on students’ mathematical concept understanding ability. A quantitative approach with an ex post facto design was employed. The research subjects consisted of all 46 students enrolled in the Integral Calculus course in Class A at the Department of Mathematics Education, Halu Oleo University, in the 2024/2025 academic year, selected through saturation sampling. Data were collected using a self-regulated learning questionnaire and a mathematical concept understanding test, both validated by subject-matter experts. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and simple linear regression. The results showed: (1) descriptively, most students had a moderate level of self-regulated learning (71.74%) and a low level of mathematical concept understanding ability (63.04%); (2) self-regulated learning had a positive and significant effect on students’ mathematical concept understanding ability, with a coefficient of determination of 42.2% (F = 32.162; p < 0.05). These findings imply the need for instructional strategies that explicitly foster self-regulated learning in undergraduate mathematics courses.