Abstract
Understanding how students self-regulate their learning experiences has been at the forefront of many empirical and theoretical advances in both cognitive and educational psychology. Yet, these two fields have traditionally investigated this multifaceted aspect of learning using different approaches, resulting in scientific knowledge that is siloed in separate literatures. The overall aim of this theoretical synthesis and review is to bridge this divide and shed light on potential integrative perspectives and approaches. We compare the theoretical and methodological approaches that have been commonly adopted in these two fields. Next, we identify several factors that contribute to the divide between the two fields. Finally, we discuss three elements that are essential for integrating perspectives and developing a holistic understanding self-regulation of learning: awareness and understanding, innovation and expansion, and collaboration and interaction. Throughout the review, we highlighted how bridging the two divergent, yet complimentary perspectives could facilitate innovative research, extensive practical implications, and improved theory.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alexander, P. A. (2008). Why this and why now? Introduction to the special issue on metacognition, self-regulation, and self-regulated learning. Educational Psychology Review, 20(4), 369–372. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-008-9089-0
Ariel, R., & Karpicke, J. D. (2018). Improving self-regulated learning with a retrieval practice intervention. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 24(1), 43–56. https://doi.org/10.1037/xap0000133
Ariel, R., Lembeck, N. A., Moffat, S., & Hertzog, C. (2018). Are there sex differences in confidence and metacognitive monitoring accuracy for everyday, academic, and psychometrically measured spatial ability? Intelligence, 70, 42–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intell.2018.08.001
Ben-Eliyahu, A., & Bernacki, M. L. (2015). Addressing complexities in self-regulated learning: A focus on contextual factors, contingencies, and dynamic relations. Metacognition and Learning, 10(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11409-015-9134-6
Benjamin, A. S. (2007). Memory is more than just remembering: Strategic control of encoding, accessing memory, and making decisions. In A. S. Benjamin & B. H. B. T.-P. of L. and M. Ross (Eds.), Skill and strategy in memory use (Vol. 48, pp. 175–223). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0079-7421(07)48005-7
Bernacki, M. L., Byrnes, J. P., & Cromley, J. G. (2012). The effects of achievement goals and self-regulated learning behaviors on reading comprehension in technology-enhanced learning environments. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 37(2), 148–161. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2011.12.001
Bernacki, M. L., Vosicka, L., & Utz, J. C. (2020). Can a brief, digital skill training intervention help undergraduates “learn to learn” and improve their STEM achievement? Journal of Educational Psychology, 112(4), 765–781. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000405
Bjork, R. A., Dunlosky, J., & Kornell, N. (2013). Self-regulated learning: Beliefs, techniques, and illusions. Annual Review of Psychology, 64(1), 417–444. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-113011-143823
Blunt, J. R., & Karpicke, J. D. (2014). Learning with retrieval-based concept mapping. Journal of Educational Psychology, 106(3), 849–858. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0035934
Boekaerts, M. (1996). Self-regulated learning at the junction of cognition and motivation. European Psychologist, 1, 100–112. https://doi.org/10.1027/1016-9040.1.2.100
Bol, L., Campbell, K. D., Perez, T., & Yen, C. J. (2016). The effects of self-regulated learning training on community college students’ metacognition and achievement in developmental math courses. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 40(6), 480–495. https://doi.org/10.1080/10668926.2015.1068718
Bower, G. H. (2000). A brief history of memory research. In E. Tulving & F. I. M. Craik (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of memory (pp. 3–32). Oxford University Press.
Butterfield, B., & Metcalfe, J. (2001). Errors committed with high confidence are hypercorrected. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 27(6), 1491–1494. https://doi.org/10.1037/0278-7393.27.6.1491
Castel, A. D., McGillivray, S., & Friedman, M. C. (2012). Metamemory and memory efficiency in older adults: Learning about the benefits of priority processing and value-directed remembering. In M. Naveh Benjamin & N. Ohta (Eds.), Memory and aging: Current directions (pp. 245–270). Psychology Press.
Clark, D. A., & Svinicki, M. (2015). The effect of retrieval on post-task enjoyment of studying. Educational Psychology Review, 27(1), 51–67. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-014-9272-4
Cleary, T. (2011). Emergence of self-regulated learning microanalysis. In B. Zimmerman & D. Schunk (Eds.), Handbook of self-regulation of learning and performance (pp. 329–345). Routledge.
Cleary, T. J., Zimmerman, B. J., & Keating, T. (2006). Training physical education students to self-regulate during basketball free throw practice. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 77, 251–262. https://doi.org/10.1080/02701367.2006.10599358
Coburn, C. E., & Penuel, W. R. (2016). Research–practice partnerships in education: Outcomes, dynamics, and open questions. Educational Researcher, 45(1), 48–54. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X16631750
De Bruin, A. B., & van Gog, T. (2012). Improving self-monitoring and self-regulation: From cognitive psychology to the classroom. Learning and Instruction, 22(4), 245–252. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2012.01.003
DeCuir-Gunby, J. T. (2008). Mixed methods research in the social sciences. In J. W. Osborne (Ed.), Best practices in quantitative methods (pp. 125–136). Sage. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412995627.d11
Dent, A. L., & Koenka, A. C. (2016). The relation between self-regulated learning and academic achievement across childhood and adolescence: A meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 28(3), 425–474. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-015-9320-8
Dignath-van Ewijk, C., & Van der Werf, G. (2012). What teachers think about self-regulated learning: An investigation of teacher beliefs about enhancing students’ self-regulation and how they predict teacher behavior. Education Research International, 2012, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/741713
Dinsmore, D. L., Alexander, P. A., & Loughlin, S. M. (2008). Focusing the conceptual lens on metacognition, self-regulation, and self-regulated learning. Educational Psychology Review, 20(4), 391–409. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-008-9083-6
Dunlosky, J., & Metcalfe, J. (2009). Metacognition. Sage.
Dunlosky, J., & Thiede, K. W. (2013). Metamemory. In D. Reisberg (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Cognitive Psychology (pp. 283–298). Oxford University Press.
Dunlosky, J., Rawson, K. A., Marsh, E. J., Nathan, M. J., & Willingham, D. T. (2013). Improving students’ learning with effective learning techniques: Promising directions from cognitive and educational psychology. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 14(1), 4–58. https://doi.org/10.1177/1529100612453266
Dunlosky, J., & Ariel, R. (2011). Self-regulated learning and the allocation of study time. In the B. Ross (Ed.), Psychology of learning and motivation (Vol. 54, pp. 103–140). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-385527-5.00004-8
Efklides, A. (2006). Metacognition and affect: What can metacognitive experiences tell us about the learning process? Educational Research Review, 1(1), 3–14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2005.11.001
Efklides, A. (2011). Interactions of metacognition with motivation and affect in self-regulated learning: The MASRL model. Educational Psychologist, 46(1), 6–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2011.538645
Entwistle, N. (1997). The Approaches and Study Skiits Inventory for Students (ASSIST). University of Edinburgh.
Fazio, L. K., & Marsh, E. J. (2009). Surprising feedback improves later memory. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 16(1), 88–92. https://doi.org/10.3758/PBR.16.1.88
Fiechter, J. L., Benjamin, A. S., & Unsworth, N. (2016). The metacognitive foundations of effective remembering. In J. Dunlosky & S. K. Tauber (Eds.), Oxford Handbook of Metamemory. Oxford University Press.
Finn, B., Miele, D. B., & Wigfield, A. (2023). The impact of remembered success experiences on expectancies, values, and perceived costs. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 72, 102143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2022.102143
Flavell, J. H. (1979). Metacognition and cognitive monitoring: A new area of cognitive–developmental inquiry. American Psychologist, 34(10), 906–911. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.34.10.906
Goldsmith, M., & Koriat, A. (2008). The strategic regulation of memory accuracy and informativeness. In A. Benjamin & B. H. Ross (Eds.), The psychology of learning and motivation (Vol. 48, pp. 1–60). Academic Press.
Greene, J. A. (2018). Self-regulation in education. Routledge.
Greeno, J. G., & Engeström, Y. (2014). Learning in activity. In The Cambridge Handbook of the Learning Sciences (2nd ed., pp. 128–149). Cambridge University Press.
Griffin, T. D., Wiley, J., & Thiede, K. W. (2008). Individual differences, rereading, and self-explanation: Concurrent processing and cue validity as constraints on metacomprehension accuracy. Memory & Cognition, 36(1), 93–103. https://doi.org/10.3758/MC.36.1.93
Hacker, D. J., Dunlosky, J., & Graesser, A. C. (Eds.). (1998). Metacognition in educational theory and practice. Erlbaum.
Jenkins, J. J. (1974). Remember that old theory of memory? Well, forget it. American Psychologist, 29(11), 785–795. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0037399
Kang, S. H., & Pashler, H. (2014). Is the benefit of retrieval practice modulated by motivation? Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 3(3), 183–188. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jarmac.2014.05.006
Karabenick, S. A., & Gonida, E. N. (2018). Academic help seeking as a self-regulated learning strategy: Current issues, future directions. In D. H. Schunk & J. A. Greene (Eds.), Handbook of self-regulation of learning and performance (pp. 421–433). Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group.
Kim, Y., Brady, A. C., & Wolters, C. A. (2020). College students’ regulation of cognition, motivation, behavior, and context: Distinct or overlapping processes? Learning and Individual Differences, 80, 101872. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2020.101872
Kirk-Johnson, A., Galla, B. M., & Fraundorf, S. H. (2019). Perceiving effort as poor learning: The misinterpreted-effort hypothesis of how experienced effort and perceived learning relate to study strategy choice. Cognitive Psychology, 115, 101237. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogpsych.2019.101237
Kitsantas, A., Steen, S., & Huie, F. (2009). The role of self-regulated strategies and goal orientation in predicting achievement of elementary school children. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 2(1), 65–81.
Knowlton, B. J., & Castel, A. D. (2022). Memory and reward-based learning: A value-directed remembering perspective. Annual Review of Psychology, 73, 25–52. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-032921-050951
Koedinger, K. R., Corbett, A. T., & Perfetti, C. (2012). The Knowledge-Learning-Instruction framework: Bridging the science-practice chasm to enhance robust student learning. Cognitive Science, 36(5), 757–798. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1551-6709.2012.01245.x
Kornell, N., & Bjork, R. A. (2007). The promise and perils of self-regulated study. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 14(2), 219–224. https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03194055
Kuhbandner, C., & Emmerdinger, K. J. (2019). Do students really prefer repeated rereading over testing when studying textbooks? A Reexamination. Memory, 27(7), 952–961. https://doi.org/10.1080/09658211.2019.1610177
Kumar, R., Zusho, A., & Bondie, R. (2018). Weaving cultural relevance and achievement motivation into inclusive classroom cultures. Educational Psychologist, 53(2), 78–96. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2018.1432361
Linnenbrink, E. A. (2006). Emotion research in education: Theoretical and methodological perspectives on the integration of affect, motivation, and cognition. Educational Psychology Review, 18(4), 307–314. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-006-9028-x
Lobczowski, N. G., Lyons, K., Greene, J. A., & McLaughlin, J. E. (2021). Socioemotional regulation strategies in a project-based learning environment. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 65, 101968. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2021.101968
McDaniel, M. A., & Einstein, G. O. (2020). Training learning strategies to promote self-regulation and transfer: The knowledge, belief, commitment, and planning framework. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 15(6), 1363–1381. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691620920723
Metcalfe, J. (2009). Metacognitive judgments and control of study. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 18(3), 159–163. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8721.2009.01628.x
Moos, D. C., & Azevedo, R. (2008). Self-regulated learning with hypermedia: The role of prior domain knowledge. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 33(2), 270–298. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2007.03.001
Moos, D. C., & Ringdal, A. (2012). Self-regulated learning in the classroom: A literature review on the teacher’s role. Education Research International, 2012, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/423284
Moss, A. J., Rosenzweig, C., Robinson, J., & Litman, L. (2020). Demographic stability on Mechanical Turk despite COVID-19. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 24(9), 678–680. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2020.05.014
Nelson, T. O., & Narens, L. (1990). Metamemory: A theoretical framework and new findings. In G. H. Bower (Ed.), Psychology of Learning and Motivation (Vol. 26, pp. 125–173). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0079-7421(08)60053-5
Nelson, T. O., & Narens, L. (1994). Why investigate metacognition. In J. Metcalfe & A. P. Shimamura (Eds.), Metacognition: Knowing about knowing (pp. 1–25). MIT press.
Pajares, F. (2002). Gender and perceived self-efficacy in self-regulated learning. Theory into Practice, 41(2), 116–125. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15430421tip4102_8
Panadero, E. (2017). A review of self-regulated learning: Six models and four directions for research. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 422. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00422
Peng, Y., & Tullis, J. G. (2020). Theories of intelligence influence self-regulated study choices and learning. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 46(3), 487. https://doi.org/10.1037/xlm0000740
Perry, N. E., VandeKamp, K. O., Mercer, L. K., & Nordby, C. J. (2002). Investigating teacher-student interactions that foster self-regulated learning. Educational Psychologist, 37(1), 5–15. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15326985EP3701_2
Pino-Pasternak, D., & Whitebread, D. (2010). The role of parenting in children’s self-regulated learning. Educational Research Review, 5(3), 220–242. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2010.07.001
Pintrich, P. R. (2004). A conceptual framework for assessing motivation and self-regulated learning in college students. Educational Psychology Review, 16, 385–407. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-004-0006-x
Pintrich, P. R., & Zusho, A. (2007). Student motivation and self-regulated learning in the college classroom. In R. P. Perry & J. C. Smart (Eds.), The scholarship of teaching and learning in higher education: An evidence-based perspective (pp. 731–810). Springer.
Pintrich, P. R., Smith, D. A., Garcia, T., & McKeachie, W. J. (1993). Reliability and predictive validity of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ). Educational and Psychological Measurement, 53(3), 801–813. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164493053003024
Psychonomic Society Task Force on Racial Justice. (2021). Psychonomic Society Task Force on Racial Justice 2021 Report. Retrieved June 21, 2022, from https://www.psychonomic.org/page/Racial_Justice_2022_Recommendations
Puustinen, M., & Pulkkinen, L. (2001). Models of self-regulated learning: A review. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 45, 269–286. https://doi.org/10.1080/00313830120074206
Redifer, J. L., Therriault, D. J., Lee, C. S., & Schroeder, A. N. (2016). Working memory capacity and self-explanation strategy use provide additive problem-solving benefits. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 30(3), 420–429. https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.3219
Roberts, S. O., Bareket-Shavit, C., Dollins, F. A., Goldie, P. D., & Mortenson, E. (2020). Racial inequality in psychological research: Trends of the past and recommendations for the future. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 15(6), 1295–1309. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691620927709
Schraw, G., & Moshman, D. (1995). Metacognitive theories. Educational Psychology Review, 7(4), 351–371. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02212307
Schunk, D. H. (2008). Metacognition, self-regulation, and self-regulated learning: Research recommendations. Educational Psychology Review, 20(4), 463–467. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-008-9086-3
Schutz, P. A., & Davis, H. A. (2000). Emotions and self-regulation during test taking. Educational Psychologist, 35(4), 243–256. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15326985EP3504_03
Spruce, R., & Bol, L. (2015). Teacher beliefs, knowledge, and practice of self-regulated learning. Metacognition and Learning, 10(2), 245–277. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11409-014-9124-0
Tauber, S. K., & Witherby, A. E. (2019). Do judgments of learning modify older adults’ actual learning? Psychology and Aging, 34(6), 836. https://doi.org/10.1037/pag0000376
Thiede, K. W., & Dunlosky, J. (1999). Toward a general model of self-regulated study: An analysis of selection of items for study and self-paced study time. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 25(4), 1024–1037. https://doi.org/10.1037/0278-7393.25.4.1024
Thiede, K. W., Anderson, M., & Therriault, D. (2003). Accuracy of metacognitive monitoring affects learning of texts. Journal of Educational Psychology, 95(1), 66–73. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.95.1.66
Tullis, J. G., Fiechter, J. L., & Benjamin, A. S. (2018). The efficacy of learners’ testing choices. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 44(4), 540–552. https://doi.org/10.1037/xlm0000473
Usher, E. L. (2018). Acknowledging the whiteness of motivation research: Seeking cultural relevance. Educational Psychologist, 53(2), 131–144. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2018.1442220
Wang, Q. (2016). Why should we all be cultural psychologists? Lessons from the study of social cognition. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 11(5), 583–596. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dr.2018.03.002
Winne, P. H., & Hadwin, A. F. (1998). Studying as self-regulated learning. Metacognition in Educational Theory and Practice, 93, 27–30.
Winne, P. H., & Perry, N. (2000). Measuring self-regulated learning. In M. Boekaerts, P. Pintrich, & M. Zeidner (Eds.), Handbook of self-regulation (pp. 531–566). Academic Press.
Winne, P. H. (2018). Cognition and metacognition within self-regulated learning. In D. H. Schunk & J. A. Greene (Eds.), Handbook of self-regulation of learning and performance (2nd ed., pp. 36–48). Routledge.
Wolters, C. A. (2003). Regulation of motivation: Evaluating an underemphasized aspect of self-regulated learning. Educational Psychologist, 38(4), 189–205. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15326985EP3804_1
Yan, V. X., Thai, K. P., & Bjork, R. A. (2014). Habits and beliefs that guide self-regulated learning: Do they vary with mindset? Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 3(3), 140–152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jarmac.2014.04.003
Zepeda, C. D., & Nokes-Malach, T. J. (2021). Metacognitive study strategies in a college course and their relation to exam performance. Memory & Cognition, 49(3), 480–497. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13421-020-01106-5
Zepeda, C. D., Martin, R. S., & Butler, A. C. (2020). Motivational strategies to engage learners in desirable difficulties. Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 9(4), 468–474. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jarmac.2020.08.007
Zimmerman, B. J. (2000). Attaining self-regulation: A social cognitive perspective. In M. Boekaerts & P. R. Pintrich, (Eds.), Handbook of self-regulation (pp. 13–39). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-012109890-2/50031-7
Zusho, A. (2017). Toward an integrated model of student learning in the college classroom. Educational Psychology Review, 29(2), 301–324. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-017-9408-4
Acknowledgements
We thank Evy Mattson, Steve Wang, Morrigan Dunlap-Loomis, Cassidy Ditkoff, Grace West, Alyssa Coladipietro, and Ryan Tanner for their help in coding the data.
Funding
This project was supported by the James S. McDonnell Foundation 21st Century Science Initiative in Understanding Human Cognition – Collaborative Grant No. 220020483.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
Y. K. and C. D. Z. are co-first authors. All three authors contributed to the idea for this review. Y. K. and C. D. Z. drafted the manuscript, and all three authors edited and approved the manuscript.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare no competing interests.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Yeo-eun Kim and Cristina D. Zepeda are co-first authors.
Supplementary Information
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Kim, Ye., Zepeda, C.D. & Butler, A.C. An Interdisciplinary Review of Self-Regulation of Learning: Bridging Cognitive and Educational Psychology Perspectives. Educ Psychol Rev 35, 92 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-023-09800-x
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-023-09800-x