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On the contrary, they appeared to have problems with their metacognitive strategies, although
Slovak students did slightly better. This includes, for example, less reflecting on one’s own learning
or analysing what they are going to do next – skills necessary for higher-order cognitive skills (cf.

Mitsea and Drigas, 2019). They are not well-prepared for self-study from their institutions of
secondary school learning where they were more used to memorization and fewer discussions. The
students were suddenly given a huge amount of literature and assignments to do their own,
whereas there were still tendencies to be fully guided and checked by their teachers at their former
schools. Therefore, there is an urgent need to start developing self-regulated behaviours for
studying in the early years and accentuate its importance at the secondary institutions by
encouraging students to do their own research, to prioritize their tasks, and to organize their time
and ability to work with much information.

Generally, it can be concluded that the present pandemic students in Central Europe who had to
study only online for the entire academic year seemed to be able to perform self-regulated online
learning. However, the findings show that much more work must be done in developing their
metacognitive strategies, such as reflective and critical thinking, analysing or evaluating, the
strategies that are crucial for successful academic performance. In this respect, it is the teacher who
can serve as a facilitator and promote these metacognitive strategies among his/her students by
providing students with constructive feedback, monitoring their learning, reviewing their progress,
and/or providing opportunities to reflect on their learning.

5.2 SWEEDEN 29

Using Digital Tools to Enhance Mathematical Modelling Processes

A Swedish Case Study on Effects of Upper Secondary Students' Usage of Digital Tools

In the latest study plan, the Swedish National Agency for Education has emphasised students’ ability
to use digital tools. One subject area for which digital tools shall be used, and where they are known
to be advantageous, is mathematical modelling. For example, digital tools are known to extend the
range of problem situations that can be handled as well as enabling modellers to focus on modelling
and strategic planning rather than calculations.

How digital tools should be incorporated into the educational design to exploit these potential

benefits is however not trivial. By studying two small groups of upper secondary students, this study
was designed to exemplify how the use of digital tools can affect students’ processes and how the
design of the learning environment can be adapted to improve the found effects. To gain an
understanding in these topics, the students were recorded while engaging in their first modelling
experience.

Moreover, they were interviewed about their digital tools’ usage and previous experience of tools.
The students were found to benefit from the tools’ collaborative support while remaining

unaffected by speed enhancements and decreased cognitive load. In addition, they occasionally
engaged in unnecessary tool usage and failed to use a tool’s collaborative features in a new context