Transition Theory for Learning

a conceptual model for the development of student autonomy in the age of artificial intelligence.

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47385/cadunifoa.v21.n56.6485

Keywords:

Self-regulated learning, Student autonomy, Artificial intelligence, Teacher mediation, Learning theory

Abstract

The expansion of digital technologies and Artificial Intelligence has transformed the forms of access, production and circulation of knowledge, increasing the challenges related to training students capable of learning autonomously. Although studies on meaningful learning, active methodologies, teacher mediation and self-regulation present relevant contributions to the understanding of learning, there remains a need for references that articulate these perspectives and explain the path of development from cognitive dependence to autonomy. This article aims to present and substantiate the Theory of Transition to Learning (TTA), a conceptual proposition aimed at understanding the progressive development of student autonomy. This is a theoretical-conceptual study built from the critical articulation between learning references, self-regulation, pedagogical mediation and contemporary education. The theory organizes this process into eight interrelated stages, understood in a dynamic and non-linear way, in which intentional teacher mediation and self-regulation assume structuring functions. It is argued that autonomy is neither a spontaneous condition for the student nor an automatic consequence of the use of active technologies or methodologies, but a training process that demands pedagogical experiences progressively oriented towards reflection, decision-making and responsibility for one's own learning. The proposition offers a reference for future research and for the organization of pedagogical practices aimed at developing autonomy in contemporary educational contexts.

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Author Biographies

Joyce Amaral, LCC - IOC - Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil

Doutorado em Ensino em Biociências e Saúde pelo Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Brasil (2025)
Pesquisadora Colaboradora Voluntária do Fundação Oswaldo Cruz , Brasil

Michele Waltz Comarú, Instituto Federal do Rio de Janeiro (IFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil

Doutorado em Ensino em Biociências e Saúde pelo Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Brasil(2012)
Pesquisadora Colaboradora Voluntária do Fundação Oswaldo Cruz , Brasil

References

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Published

2026-08-22

How to Cite

AMARAL, Joyce; WALTZ COMARÚ, Michele. Transition Theory for Learning: a conceptual model for the development of student autonomy in the age of artificial intelligence. Cadernos UniFOA, Volta Redonda, RJ, v. 21, n. 56, p. 13, 2026. DOI: 10.47385/cadunifoa.v21.n56.6485. Disponível em: https://revistas.unifoa.edu.br/cadernos/article/view/6485. Acesso em: 25 aug. 2026.

Issue

Section

Ciências Sociais Aplicadas e Humanas