Self-Regulation in Education Self-regulation in education is a familiar and important topic for all educators: professors, administrators, teachers, researchers, journalists, and scholars. As educational standards require that students take control of what and how they learn, self-regulation skills are essential to student success. Writ- ten by a leading expert on self-regulation and self-regulated learning, this book situates the topic within the broader con- text of educational psychology research and theory, bringing it to a wider audience. With chapters on the fundamentals of self-regulation, explanations of its uses, and advice for best application, this concise volume is designed for any education course that includes self-regulation in the curriculum. It will be indispensable for education researchers and both pre- and in-service teachers alike. Jeffrey A. Greene is Associate Professor in the Learning Sciences and Psychological Studies program in the School of Education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA. Ed Psych Insights Series Editor: Patricia A. Alexander Assessment of Student Achievement Gavin T. L. Brown Self-Efficacy and Future Goals in Education Barbara A. Greene Self-Regulation in Education Jeffrey A. Greene Strategic Processing in Education Daniel L. Dinsmore Cognition in Education Matthew T. McCrudden and Danielle S. McNamara Emotions at School Reinhard Pekrun, Krista R. Muis, Anne C. Frenzel, and Thomas Goetz Teacher Expectations in Education Christine Margaret Rubie-Davies JEFFREY A. GREENE Self-Regulation in Education First published 2018 by Routledge 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017 and by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2018 Taylor & Francis The right of Jeffrey A. Greene to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A catalog record for this book has been requested ISBN: 978-1-138-68909-1 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-138-68910-7 (pbk) ISBN: 978-1-315-53745-0 (ebk) Typeset in Joanna MT by Apex CoVantage, LLC Contents Acknowledgments vi One: Why Study Self-Regulation in Education? 1 Two: What Is Self-Regulation in Education? 17 Three: How Does Self-Regulation in Education Relate to Learning and Achievement? 76 Four: How Can Educators Help Students Become Better Self-Regulators in Education? 108 Five: What Is the Future of Self-Regulation in Education? 126 Glossary 137 References 140 Index 159 Acknowledgments This text was a delightful challenge, and I am grateful to Patricia Alexander and Dan Schwartz for the opportunity to tackle it, and for their ongoing support throughout the process. Further, I owe much to Barbara Greene and Daniel Dinsmore, who were invaluable sources of feedback and encouragement. The anonymous reviewers for this text provided very insightful critiques as well. Dale Schunk has been a wonderful collaborator and mentor, and his insights on self-regulated learning have been tremendously helpful. Finally, as always, I am profoundly grateful for my family, Mira Brancu, Avery Greene, and Jacob Greene. One Why Study Self-Regulation in Education? In an era of rapid technological advancement and extraordinary feats of human ingenuity, why do students continue to struggle to obtain more than a rudimentary understanding of the topics they learn in school?1 ,2 Why has the Internet’s proliferation of information sources and democratization of information distribution had little to no discernable effect upon the quality of human decision making? 3 And why do employers continue to lament today’s workers’ inability to exert initiative and problem solve?4 The answers to each of these questions are no doubt complex, but the questions themselves highlight an important point: deep conceptual understanding, nuanced critical thinking skills, and the abil- ity to make positive contributions in the work world involve knowledge and skills that are not innate, intuitive, or easy to acquire. 5 Thankfully, such knowledge and skill can be learned, with effort and guidance. Stories of entrepreneurs, leaders, and humanitarians illus- trate common learned lessons, skills, and beliefs that underlie their success. These individuals set clear, valued goals in which they invest signifi cant personal motivation. They make plans for how to reach those goals, even if sometimes those plans must be made as they rush forward. Throughout pursuit of their goal, they maintain belief in themselves, their goal, and their capacity to attain it. They persist in the face of obstacles, both of others’ and of their own making, and when necessary 2 Why Study Self-Regulation in Education? they choose the more diffi cult, less intuitive, but more avail- ing path. They understand and shape their emotions to fuel positive outcomes and beliefs. They seek out feedback, from themselves and others, to chart their progress and change course when needed. Finally, they engage in productive dia- logue with themselves and the people around them, being responsive to their world while also working to change it for the better. Often the individuals chosen for these stories seem to be outliers in terms of their actions, their circumstances, or both. Nonetheless, the actions, skills, and beliefs necessary to succeed in the modern world are not unusual or unattainable. They can be learned, and they are the focus of this book: self- regulation in education. The academic literature on self-regulation in education tends to fall into two camps, each of which addresses issues of criti- cal importance to education and learning in the twenty-fi rst century. In one camp, including but not limited to education, educational psychology, and learning sciences researchers, are those who study self-regulated learning (SRL), often defi ned as “the processes whereby learners personally activate and sustain cognitions, affects, and behaviors that are system- atically oriented toward the attainment of personal goals” (p. 1).6 Self-regulated learners have both the “skill” and the “will” to learn. They possess skills to learn, such as effective learning strategies, and they know which of those strategies work for them in learning situations. They also have the will to learn, including positive motivation to get them started on a learning task and the volition to help them persist through to completing the task, even when it gets diffi cult. These skills and wills are powered by positive emotions, as well as positive interpretations of their emotions, whether they are positive or negative ones. Self-regulated learners actively manage them- selves, their thoughts, and their surroundings, including the Why Study Self-Regulation in Education? 3 other people in those surroundings, to maximize their learn- ing efforts. SRL is needed for a wide variety of academic tasks, such as learning how to solve problems, writing accurate and convincing arguments, tackling unfamiliar and open-ended tasks, and engaging in the kinds of inquiry necessary to really understand how science works and how it can inform public policy, among other educational tasks. Numerous studies and reports have endorsed SRL knowledge and skills as power- ful predictors of achievement in school and life-long success at work.7 ,8,9 Indeed, SRL has begun to be embraced as not just a way to achieved desirable educational outcomes but a valuable educational outcome in and of itself, as evidenced in recent educational policy and standards movements.1 0,11,12 On the other hand, there is a second camp of scholars, often including but not limited to cognitive, developmental, and social psychologists, who study self-regulation in multiple contexts, including but not limited to formal and informal educational environments. For these scholars, self-regulation involves how people actively monitor, adjust, and maintain levels of cognitive, motivational, and emotional arousal in ways that fuel, rather than derail, their pursuit of goals, par- ticularly in the face of challenges.1 3, 14 From this perspective, self-regulation pervades all aspects of human functioning, such as when people pursue challenging goals such as los- ing weight, saving for retirement, or interacting in positive ways with teachers and peers in school. Even after control- ling for prior achievement, IQ, and other internal and external factors, students’ self-regulatory processing predicts health, marital harmony, fi nancial success, criminal activity, and, yes, a variety of academic factors including performance, school readiness, and relations with other students and teachers in schools. 13,15,16 The unique predictive validity of self-regulation