Applications of a model of goal orientation and self-regulated learning to individuals with learning problems

Self-regulated learning concerns the application of general models of regulation and self-regulation to issues of learning, in particular academic learning that occurs in school or classroom contexts. An important aspect of models of self-regulation is that individuals regulate towards a goal, thereby implicating the motivational system. Pintrich (2000) has proposed a general model that links different goal orientations to various self-regulatory processes related to academic learning. A hallmark of this model is the importance of integrating both cognitive and motivational components in learning. In this chapter, we will apply that general model to understanding how goal orientations and self-regulated learning processes might operate for individuals with learning problems. We first provide an overview of the general model of self-regulation and goal orientation, followed by a discussion of how different goal orientations might promote or constrain self-regulated learning. In these two different sections we note how these general processes might apply to individuals with learning problems. Given space constraints, this chapter does not include a comprehensive review of research in special education on how these processes might be related to individuals with learning problems, rather we include a few citations from the special education literature to illustrate potential applications.