A quantitative review of the effects of self-regulation interventions on primary and secondary student academic achievement

Self-regulation involves the modulation of one's thoughts, emotions, and behaviors in the pursuit of long-term goals. Students who face difficulties with self-regulation may experience substantial deficits in their academic achievement. However, research has pointed to a number of effective instructional strategies and interventions which may be particularly beneficial for improving students' acquisition of academic skills. One such strategy is self-regulation interventions, which are typically comprised of cognitive learning strategies, mnemonic strategies, and/or behavioral management strategies. The aim of this meta-analysis was to synthesize and analyze extant research on the impact of self-regulation (as defined in this study) interventions on primary and secondary students' math, reading, and writing outcomes. Peer-reviewed publications from the last 50 years were identified through a systematic search, which resulted in a total of 46 studies included in the meta-analysis. This systematic review yielded an overall positive effect of self-regulation interventions on academic outcomes, suggesting that self-regulation interventions can lead to improved reading, writing, and math scores for children and adolescents. The increased and sustained development and implementation of self-regulation interventions in school settings may be particularly beneficial for targeting deficits in self-regulation and promoting academic achievement.