Delving Into the Psychology of Machines: Exploring the Structure of Self-Regulated Learning via LLM-Generated Survey Responses

Large language models (LLMs) offer the potential to simulate human-like responses and behaviors, creating new opportunities for psychological science. In the context of self-regulated learning (SRL), if LLMs can reliably simulate survey responses at scale and speed, they could be used to test intervention scenarios, refine theoretical models, augment sparse datasets, and represent hard-to-reach populations. However, the validity of LLM-generated survey responses remains uncertain, with limited research focused on SRL and existing studies beyond SRL yielding mixed results. Therefore, in this study, we examined LLM-generated responses to the 44-item Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ; Pintrich \& De Groot, 1990), a widely used instrument assessing students' learning strategies and academic motivation. Particularly, we used the LLMs GPT-4o, Claude 3.7 Sonnet, Gemini 2 Flash, LLaMA 3.1-8B, and Mistral Large. We analyzed item distributions, the psychological network of the theoretical SRL dimensions, and psychometric validity based on the latent factor structure. Our results suggest that Gemini 2 Flash was the most promising LLM, showing considerable sampling variability and producing underlying dimensions and theoretical relationships that align with prior theory and empirical findings. At the same time, we observed discrepancies and limitations, underscoring both the potential and current constraints of using LLMs for simulating psychological survey data and applying it in educational contexts.

Transition Network Analysis: A Novel Framework for Modeling, Visualizing, and Identifying the Temporal Patterns of Learners and Learning Processes

This paper proposes a novel analytical framework: Transition Network Analysis (TNA), an approach that integrates Stochastic Process Mining and probabilistic graph representation to model, visualize, and identify transition patterns in the learning process data. Combining the relational and temporal aspects into a single lens offers capabilities beyond either framework, including centralities to capture important learning events, community finding to identify patterns of behavior, and clustering to reveal temporal patterns. This paper introduces the theoretical and mathematical foundations of TNA. To demonstrate the functionalities of TNA, we present a case study with students (n=191) engaged in small-group collaboration to map patterns of group dynamics using the theories of co-regulation and socially-shared regulated learning. The analysis revealed that TNA could reveal the regulatory processes and identify important events, temporal patterns and clusters. Bootstrap validation established the significant transitions and eliminated spurious transitions. In doing so, we showcase TNA's utility to capture learning dynamics and provide a robust framework for investigating the temporal evolution of learning processes. Future directions include advancing estimation methods, expanding reliability assessment, exploring longitudinal TNA, and comparing TNA networks using permutation tests.