Integrating the regulation of affect, behavior, and cognition into self-regulated learning paradigms among secondary and post-secondary students

An integrative framework for investigating self-regulated learning situated in students’ favorite and least favorite courses was empirically tested in a sample of 178 high school and 280 college students. Building on cognitive, clinical, social, and educational conceptions of self-regulation, the current paper integrated affective (e.g., reappraisal, suppression), behavioral (e.g., environmental, planning), and cognitive (e.g., cognitive focusing, metacognition) forms of regulation with self-regulated learning strategies (deep and surface processing, organization, engagement) to predict achievement. Overall, self-regulation was employed more frequently in favorite courses and by college students. Path models examined the associations of affective, behavioral, and cognitive regulation with learning strategies and achievement. These analyses suggested that affective, behavioral, and cognitive regulation were related to learning strategies, but the links to achievement were less robust. Moreover, there were significant indirect paths from behavioral and cognitive regulation to achievement through learning strategies, although some of these indirect paths were counter to expectations.