Is self-regulation like a muscle (the more it’s used, the stronger it becomes), or is it like a tank of gas (the more it’s used, the lower it gets)? Is it more cognitive (control over thoughts), behavioral (control over actions), or affective (control over emotions)? Psychological research on self-regulation is relevant to English instructors’ efforts to help their students write well. Procrastination, distraction, mis-estimation of time, avoidance, pointless effort, and negative self-talk are all enemies of successful writing process, and they all involve failures of self-regulation. This session will summarize classic and recent research findings about what self-regulation is, what promotes it, and what impairs it. It will focus on how these findings can be useful to the classroom instructor.

Speakers

Susan Day, University of Houston