ACADEMIC STUDYING AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF PERSONAL SKILL - A SELF-REGULATORY PERSPECTIVE

Although the topic of academic studying has been neglected historicall y, researchers interested in academic self-regulation have undertaken a program of research with important implications for understanding ho w academic studying can be optimized. In this article, I present a con ceptualization of this topic in terms of 6 underlying dimensions that students can self-regulate using specific processes. Extensive anecdot al evidence is described indicating that similar self-regulatory proce sses are used by experts in such diverse disciplines as music, sports, and professional writing. These descriptions reveal that self-regulat ory processes are not only important during initial development of a s kill but also during subsequent performance of it in naturalistic sett ings. Finally, research on the beneficial effects of self-regulated st udying is recounted on academic motivation as well as achievement, and a cyclical self-regulatory model for study skill instruction in regul ar classrooms is presented.