RUNNING HEAD: Self-Regulation Research Paper

SelfRegulationandAcademicSuccess

UniversityofCalgary
ChristinaMajcher
June2014

Self-Regulation Research Paper

SelfRegulationandAcademicSuccess
Thispastweek,publicschoolteachersinBritishColumbiavotedonphasethreeofjob
actionthatcouldultimatelyleadtoafullstrike.Themediahassentamessagethatteachersare
strikingsolelyoversalaries.However,theunderpinningoftheteachersjobactionrestsinthe
frustrationwiththecurrenteducationsystem,specificallyinhowitrelatestothediverselearning
needsofstudentsandalackofavailableresources.ReportsfromtheCanadianCouncilon
SocialDevelopment(CCSD,2006)indicatethateducationisoneofthemostimportant
communityresourcesforchildrenandyouth.Unfortunately,accesstospecialeducationservices
inthepublicschoolsystemhasbecomeincreasinglychallenging.Infact,researchshowsthat
nearlyonethirdofallchildrenwithdisabilitieshavedifficultyaccessingspecialeducation
services(CCSD,2006).Insufficientstaffingandinsufficientspecialeducationserviceshave
beencitedasreasonsforthesechallenges(CCSD,2006).Ofchildrenunabletoaccessthe
servicesin2001,53%weresaidtohaveveryseveredisabilities,42%hadseveredisabilities,
32%hadmoderatedisabilitiesand11%hadmilddisabilities.Thishasledtoclassroomswith
increasingneeds,decreasedsupportsandfrustratedteacherswithvariedlevelsoftrainingto
meettheneedsoftheirstudents.Manyteachersareleftwithminimalresourcesandstrategies.
ItisclearthattheBritishColumbiaTeachersunionandgovernmentareatastalemate.
Inthemeantime,studentsarestillstruggling.Arethereanyresearchbasedmethodstosupport
thediverselearningstylesthatarefoundintodaysclassroom?Cananyofthesesupportsbe
taughttoteacherswithinthecurrentsystemorteachersintrainingtoimproveclassroom
environments?Aretheresupportsthatmeetawiderangeofdiagnosedchallenges?Thispaper

Self-Regulation Research Paper

willexploreselfregulationandacademicachievementtodeterminepotentialbenefitsofthis
intervention.Inparticular,itwilldefinewhatselfregulationis,whataselfregulatedlearneris,
whatresearchindicatesaboutselfregulationandacademicachievementandtheimplicationsfor
schoolpsychologists.
Therearemanydefinitionsofselfregulation.StuartShanker(2010),anotedexpertin
thefieldofselfregulation,hasstatedthatselfregulationcanbedefinedastheabilitytostay
calmlyfocusedandalert.Thebetterachildcanstaycalmlyfocusedandalert,thebettertheyare
abletointegratethediverseinformationcominginfromtheirdifferentsenses,assimilateit,and
sequencestheirthoughtsandactions(Shanker,2010).Astandarddefinitionoftenusedfrom
BaumeisterandVohsHandbookofSelfRegulation(2011)includesachildsabilitytoattain,
maintainandchangetheirlevelofarousaltomatchasituation;theabilitytocontrolemotions;
theabilitytoformulategoals,monitorprogressandadjustonesbehaviour;theabilitytomanage
socialinteractionsandcoregulate;finally,theawarenessofonesacademicstrengthsand
weaknessesaswellasarepertoireoflearningstrategies.DuckworthandCarlson(2013)define
selfregulationasthevoluntarycontrolofattentional,behaviouralandemotionalimpulsesin
theserviceofpersonallyvaluedgoalsandstandards(p.209).Althoughthesethreedefinitions
vary,thereiscommonagreementthatselfregulationplaysanimportantroleintheclassroom.
Basedonthesedefinitions,itisnothardtoassumethatselfregulatedlearnersexperience
moresuccessthanstudentsthatstrugglewithselfregulation.Howdoesthistranslateina
classroomenvironment?Zimmerman(1989)describesselfregulatedlearnersasstudentsthat
aremetacognitively,motivationallyandbehaviourallyactiveparticipantsintheireducation.As
indicatedbyZumbrunn,TadlockandRoberts(2011),selfregulatedlearnersaremoreengagedin

Self-Regulation Research Paper

theirlearning.Theyareknowntoseatthemselvesclosertothefrontoftheroom,answer
questionsandseekoutextraresources(Zumbrunnetal.,2011).Interestingly,theyarealsonoted
tomanipulatetheirenvironmentstomeettheirneeds(Zumbrunnetal.,2011).Selfregulationis
notinterpretedasamentalabilityofanacademicperformanceskill,butratherasaselfdirected
processwherelearnerstransformtheirmentalabilitiesintoacademicskills(Zimmerman,2002).
Selfregulatedlearnersunderstandtheirstrengthsandlimitationsandthusapproachlearningina
proactivewayinsteadofasaneventthathappenstotheminreactiontoteaching(Zimmerman,
2002).Dr.SoniaMastrangelo(2012)eloquentlystatesthatwhenselfregulatedlearnersare
measuredbytheirperseveranceandnotability,theirsenseofselfefficacyincreaseswiththe
knowledgeandunderstandingthattheywilleventuallysucceed.
IfonereflectsonBaumeisterandVohs(2011)definitionofselfregulation,thereare
manyinterconnectedprocessessuchasattention,emotion,motivation,socialskillsandself
awarenessthatinfluenceanindividual.Motivationisacriticalfactorinselfregulation.When
studentsaremotivatedtolearn,theyaremorelikelytoinvesttimeandenergytolearnand
completelearningtasks(Zumbrunnetal.,2011).Infact,manyresearchersfeelthatindividual
learningdifferencescanbepartiallyattributedtoastudentsselfregulationabilities
(Zimmerman,2002).AsZimmerman(2002)states,anychildregardlessofdiagnosisofany
learningdisabilitiesismoresuccessfulwhentheyhaveselfawarenessoftheirlearningprofile
andstrategies.Zimmerman(2002)furthersthatselfregulatedlearnersarenotonlymorelikely
tosucceedacademically,buttheyarealsomorelikelytoviewtheirfuturesoptimistically.Itis
nothardtoconcludethatthishelpsfosterthedevelopmentoflifelonglearningskills.

Self-Regulation Research Paper

Ithasbeenwelldocumentedinresearchthatstudentswhoachieveoptimalselfregulation
aremoresuccessfulintheirpersonalandprofessionalrelationships,academicstudies,pursuits
andfuturecareers(Shanker&Bertrand,2012).RimmKaufman,PiantaandCox(2000)
conductedastudyof3,000kindergartenteachersanddiscoveredthatoneinthreestudentshad
difficultyfollowingdirections,workinginagroup,orinteractingwithpeers.Manystudieshave
beenconductedtoexaminetheearlyyearsofschooltodetermineifthereisalinkbetweenself
regulation,schoolreadinessandacademicachievement.Muchofthisresearchindicatesthat
successfultransitionstoformalschoolingrequirestrongselfregulationskills(McClelland&
Cameron,2012).Childrenwhoenterkindergartenwithoutadequateselfregulationareatrisk
forpeerrejectionandlowacademicachievement(McClelland&Cameron,2012).Infact,
McClellandandCameron(2012)statethatcomponentsofselfregulationpredictacademic
achievementbeforekindergartenthroughoutschoolingandintoadulthood.AsStoops(2004)
indicates,manytimesselfregulationchallengespersistaschildrenprogressthroughtheschool
systemcontributingtothechallengesthatleadto15%ofstudentsnotgraduatinghighschool.
Thereareamultitudeofstudiesexaminingpreschoolselfregulationskillsandlater
academicachievement.BlairandRazza(2007)conductedastudytoexaminetheroleofself
regulationintheemergingacademicabilitiesofpreschoolchildren.Measuresofexecutive
functioning,effortfulcontrol,andfalsebeliefunderstandingweremeasuredandlatercompared
tomathandliteracyskillsinkindergarten(Blair&Razza,2007).Resultsshowedthatthese
aspectsofselfregulationdidaffectacademicachievement.AsimilarstudybyMcClellandand
associates(2007),examinedbehaviourregulationusingtheselfregulationmeasureHeadto
ToesTasktodeterminethelinkbetweeninhibitorycontrol,attentionandworkingmemorywith

Self-Regulation Research Paper

theiremergentliteracy,vocabularyandmathskills.Aswiththepreviousstudy,therewasa
significantandpositiveeffectonearlyacademicachievement.Finally,someimpressive
researchhasshownthatselfregulationcanbeabetterpredictorofacademicoutcomesthatIQor
grades(Zumbrunnetal.,2011).
McClelland, Piccinin, Acock, and Stallings (2011) studied childrens self-regulation skills
in preschool and later school with college completion. Their research determined that even when
school achievement levels were controlled, children who were determined to be one standard
deviation above the mean on attention and persistence at age four had 39% greater odds of
completing college by age 25 (McClelland et al., 2011). Duncan and colleagues (2007) wanted
to build on previous school readiness research by conducting an unprecedented study analyzing
six large-scale longitudinal studies with a sample size exceeding 34,000. Studies included data
from the United States, Great Britain and Canada. The results showed that school-entry attention
skills predicted standardized achievement scores even when academic skills were controlled
(Duncan et. al., 2007). Duncan and associates (2007) also determined that internalizing and
externalizing behaviors did not predict standardized achievement scores. Do these same results
present when examining school-aged children?
Many studies have examined the self-regulation skills of school-aged children and later
academic achievement. Valient, Lemery-Chaflant & Swanson (2010) conducted a short-term
longitudinal study of 292 kindergarten students. Results of this study indicated that teacher and
parent ratings of effortful control predicted performance on standardized assessments six months
later (Valient et al., 2010). This correlation held even when verbal intelligence and family
socioeconomic status were controlled. Lubuhn, Zimmerman and Hasselhorn (2010) studied
ninety grade five students, discovering that learners that were taught self-regulation skills were

Self-Regulation Research Paper

also more likely to have high levels of confidence in math along with high academic
achievement compared to students who did not receive self-regulation instruction. Finally, a
well cited study by Pintrich and De Groot (1990) of 173 seventh graders found that selfregulation, self-efficacy and test anxiety were the best predictors of academic performance.
These researchers concluded that teaching students self-regulation strategies was crucial for
improving performance on academic tasks (Pintrich & De Groot, 1990).
How do all of these studies relate to the current upset in British Columbia schools? As
teachersinB.C.arereporting,theyarefeelingstretchedtoaccommodateforthewiderangeof
needspresentintodaysclassroom.Highlydiverseclassroomsarefilledwithchildrenwhohave
varyinglevelsofattentional,emotional,motivationalandsocialfunctioning.Teachersare
attemptingtodifferentiateinstructiontomeetcognitivevariability.However,howmanyarealso
implementingselfregulationstrategiestoimproveacademicperformance?Canadahascreateda
SelfRegulationInitiativeheadedbyStuartShankertohelpcoordinateandshareinformation
regardingselfregulationprogramsandpracticesacrossCanada.Thiscollectivebelievesthat
enhancingachildsabilitytoregulatehimorherselfhasadramaticimpact,notonlyonthe
childswellbeingandcapacitytolearn,butanequallydramaticimpactonthewellbeingof
parentsandeducators(CCSRI,n.p.,2014).
Research clearly indicates that teaching self-regulation strategies can have positive
impacts. School psychologists can help play a pivotal and influential role to support the
implementation of self-regulation strategies in schools. As Shanker (2013) indicates, there has
been an explosion in the number of children identified in the past decade with mental health and
behavioural challenges. Although it is unclear if this explosion is a result of increased incident
rates, increased awareness of problems, shifts in diagnostic criteria, advances in sampling

Self-Regulation Research Paper

techniques, or all of the above, it is clear that it is resulting in a major societal problem (Shanker,
2013). The response has been utilizing the existing medical resources leading to prescription
rates of atypical antipsychotics for middle class children doubling over the past decade and
quadrupling for children from lower income families (Shanker, 2013). This has resulted in
interventions with little focus on the underlying issues causing the childs difficulties (Shanker,
2013). School psychologists can help address these challenges at their source to foster a
preventive approach to mental health and behaviour challenges while promoting academic
success. They are often one of the first professionals to assess a child with an ability to provide
schools and parents with recommendations. As school budgets continue to be cut and teachers
battle with the government for limited resources, it is imperative that school psychologists stay
abreast on effective prevention based methods. Supporting self-regulation has far-reaching
implications for all.

Self-Regulation Research Paper

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