ABSTRACT
This chapter considers theoretical perspectives from developmental and educational psychology to describe what children's self-regulation entails, when and how it develops, and how social and situated perspectives are particularly relevant for studying children's development as self-regulating learners in classrooms. Self-regulation is recognized as a significant source of achievement differences among students across educational levels and settings. General and special education teachers have cited students' abilities to self-regulate learning and behavior as a major influence on their adaptive functioning and attainment of academic success. The chapter examines research that demonstrates how self-regulated learning (SRL) is implicated in children's development and learning, how groups of children differ in their development of self-regulation, and how children's SRL can be supported in school. To better understand how diversity impacts learning for young children, the chapter highlights research findings linking three socio-demographic factors to children's development of self-regulation: gender, experiences of extreme adversity, and cultural/linguistic diversity.
