Self-Regulation to Solve Problems

Self-regulation occurs when students are actively involved in their own learning. This active involvement typically involves the use of specific strategies to help students achieve predetermined academic or social goals and to solve problems using higher levels of self-regulation. Specific self-regulation strategies around learning or social tasks and goals include strategies to monitor one’s own behavior, strategies to make good use of the immediate environment or context, strategies to change (for the better) one’s attitudes and feelings, and strategies to change (again, for the better) one’s thinking.

A student who successfully implements self-regulation strategies to solve problems monitors his or her own behavior for the purpose of solving a problem. For example, after working on a task or project that has been less than successful, a student may evaluate the quality of his or her results and then, based on evaluations of progress made, contemplate the negative consequences if the task is not completed.

Using self-regulation to solve problems that are either academic or personal almost always involves students changing or manipulating their environment or immediate context so as to help them successfully address and solve a problem. For example, before settling down to study, a student may consider what happened the last time he or she was unsuccessful at a learning task and think about how to find a better setting that would be more conducive to study, thereby achieving a better grade. An additional example is when a student changes seats in a classroom to help himself or herself focus better, or turns off loud music while studying to address a problem of lack of focus or poor grades in the recent past.

[Page 727]Self-regulation of motivation and affect involves a student controlling motivational beliefs and attitudes, such as beliefs and attitudes related to the student’s confidence that he or she can be successful, as well as beliefs and attitudes that have to do with managing anxiety and frustration. For example, if a student consistently believes and states that he or she dislikes reading and approaches each reading assignment with negative views, the motivation to read independently may be negatively affected by this poor affect. Simply being aware of and working to control negative beliefs and attitudes can address the problem and improve motivation and affect.

Self-regulation of cognition involves a student’s use of strategies to promote his or her own learning, strategies such as organizing and transforming information through the use of concept mapping, self-testing, outlining, using note cards, summarizing, and highlighting. If a student has had problems in retention or learning new skills and content in school, increased self-regulation in active learning strategies may help to address academic problems.

In summary, the use of self-regulation strategies to solve academic problems and challenges includes methods to organize and transform information, self-reward, and accept the consequences of one’s actions, as well as use memory aids such as rehearsing. Self-regulated learning occurs when students use these strategies to systematically regulate their actions, thoughts, feelings, and environment.