The development and role of self-regulation in childhood and adolescence: An overview of the field and implications for educators in Iceland

Abstract

In the past decade, there has been a vast increase in the interest and study of selfregulation among children and adolescents across the world. However, limited discussion has taken place about the nature and role of self-regulatory skills among practitioners and the public in Iceland and few studies have focused on the selfregulatory skills of Icelandic participants. The goal of the current article is to provide a comprehensive overview of the construct of self-regulation and related research in Icelandic. The article addresses the construct of self-regulation, describes the development of self-regulatory abilities across childhood and adolescence, discusses research that demonstrates the role of self-regulatory skills for various aspects of positive and problematic development, and considers the implications of current research for educators and other practitioners in Iceland. More specifically, the author reviews current theoretical conceptions of selfregulation and discusses some of the issues that such a young field of study is currently struggling with. There is still considerable debate about how to define the term self-regulation, which may partly be due to the fact that current research is based on different theoretical and empirical traditions, ranging from neuropsychology to educational studies. However, many definitions differentiate between “hot” (emotion) and “cold” (cognitive) self-regulation processes. But, in general, most definitions of self-regulation refer to the conscious control that a person has over his or her own emotions, thinking, and behaviors. The vast changes that occur in self-regulatory behaviors from birth through adolescence are described. During the first months of life, physiological, cognitive, and emotional processes are mostly regulated by the child’s caregiver. As an example, an infant cannot regulate his or her own emotional state (e.g., crying) without the support of a caregiver (e.g., stroking and holding). As the child grows older, regulation becomes increasingly internalized and he or she can better control his or her own emotional state and behaviors. By the time a child enters preschool, he or she has achieved considerable control over emotions (such as avoiding tantrums), cognition (such as maintaining attention), and behaviors (such as inhibiting a response). In adolescence, capacities for more complex, long-term regulatory processes, often labeled intentional self-regulation, continue to grow. Such an ability to regulate the self in accordance with distant, often abstract, goals, has been proposed to be a uniquely human trait that has contributed to the success of the species and which distinguishes the behaviors of people from other animals. When discussing changes in self-regulation in childhood and adolescence, the author considers the physical (e.g., brain development), psychological (e.g., self-identity), and contextual (e.g., parenting) processes that contribute to the development of self-regulatory skills. Findings of studies that provide links between self-regulatory behaviors and positive developmental outcomes, as well as problematic behaviors, are reviewed. In particular, a growing body of research, which shows that behavioral self-regulation is a crucial learning-related skill for early school adjustment, will be described. Consequent studies have also demonstrated that early self-regulatory skills contribute to academic success later in childhood and in adolescence. Although the study of self-regulation in adolescence is a less developed field than that of self-regulation among younger children, findings are discussed that provide an association between self-regulatory skills in adolescence, on one hand, and indicators of healthy development (e.g., academic performance) and problem behaviors (e.g., risk behaviors) on the other. In addition, recent studies on self-regulation that have been conducted with Icelandic children and youth will be reviewed. Special emphasis will be placed on describing the role of self-regulation for the successful adjustment to the school context and academic success. Studies providing evidence for the importance of self-regulatory skills for significant developmental outcomes, such as school adjustment and academic success, have led to an increased interest of policymakers in the U.S. and Europe in making the support of self-regulation a major goal of early childhood education. Furthermore, these studies have prompted the development of educational practices and interventions that support the development of children’s self-regulatory behaviors. The author discusses recent experimental research that describes interventions aimed at supporting self-regulatory skills of young children and provides support for the successful implementation of such interventions. Finally, the implications of the current article for applied work, especially for preschool education, and continuing research in Iceland are considered. It is the author’s hope that the article will promote understanding, among researchers, practitioners, and policy makers in Iceland, of the construct of self-regulation and its importance to the well-being of children and youth.