Dr. Mandy Savitz-Romer, Nancy Pforzheimer Aronson Senior Lecturer in Human Development and Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education
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The National College Attainment Network (NCAN) is featuring Dr. Savitz-Romer's work in a series titled, "A Developmental Approach to College Access and Success," consisting of webinars, blog posts, and peer exchanges.
Many educators are familiar with the term “self-regulation,” or similar terms like “self-management” or “self-discipline.” These concepts are typically associated with a wide range of skills that promote positive academic outcomes and, as such, have been
the target of programming in schools and enrichment programs.
However, self-regulation, and the set of behaviors it represents, also plays a key role in supporting college and career planning. Staying on track with deadlines, completing a variety of tasks, managing stress, balancing multiple priorities and responsibilities,
and making difficult choices all require that students enact skills associated with self-regulation.
Although the connection between self-regulation and future planning has not been well documented, those of us who work with young people see it all the time. Or, more accurately, we sometimes see the absence of it when students forget key deadlines, fail
to follow through on a given task, or make choices that do not serve their long-term goals.
These behaviors often reveal students’ developing mastery of skills such as organization, planning, and working memory, all of which are considered self-regulation skills. Research finds that these skills, which are often taught in elementary schools, require continued support well into late adolescence and early adulthood. Therefore, it follows that supporting students’ postsecondary aspirations includes supporting the skills they need to make successful transitions.
Like previous blogs in this series covering identity and motivation, self-regulation is a dynamic part of a developmental process. This means, that when students are provided support to form a future-oriented identity and encouraged to articulate the
“Why” behind their postsecondary goals, they are ideally positioned to enact the kinds of organizational and planning skills necessary to realize those goals.
What exactly is self-regulation and why does it matter?
Self-regulation can be described as the ability to manage thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in service to one’s goals. The ability to enact these skills develops gradually and continues to develop during and after adolescence. For example, certain cognitive
abilities such as logical reasoning and information processing are not fully developed until age fifteen or sixteen. Whereas the ability to plan and delay gratification continue to develop into adulthood. This means that all students would benefit
from intentional programming to foster regulatory skills.
Regulation skills serve everyone in multiple domains in one’s life, including school, personal life, and work. However, the concept consists of many different skills required for college-going, such as focusing attention, planning, delaying gratification,
solving complex problems, self-reflecting, and regulating feelings and social interactions in challenging situations. As a high school counselor, I recall how the simple act of staying on task for completing relevant forms and paperwork was challenging
for many youth. However, I did not consider how it was easier for some students than others.
Because self-regulation skills enable students to set goals, stay focused, manage time and stress and make good choices, then we all need to take responsibility for meeting students where they are. However, like motivation, self-regulation is not
something that people have or don’t have. Everyone manages their thoughts and behaviors to some degree, but some are more effective at this than others. As such, educators are uniquely positioned to support youth by helping them develop the self-regulatory
skills necessary to take responsibility for their own future planning.
What can caring adults do to build self-regulatory skills?
There are many ways to support students’ development of self-regulation skills. Time management tools, reflective exercises, planning activities, routines, and decision-making practices are all great ways to strengthen students’ skill building. Specific
to postsecondary planning, here are a few other suggestions:
Managing big tasks: Students need support breaking their large goals into smaller, intermediate goals that can be accomplished in stages. For example, advisors can create a timeline with checkmarks for items. By defining potential obstacles
and brainstorming possible plans of action for overcoming them, educators can cultivate a positive and goal-oriented mindset in students.
Staying focused: Many students struggle to stay focused on a particular task, who isn’t these days with notifications and beeps interrupting our daily lives? Educators can help youth refine their attention skills in simple, everyday ways, both
during and well before the college-going process begins. These strategies can include helping young people create dedicated times and places to study and complete applications, teaching them strategies to quiet the mind and focus and limit distractions
by utilizing apps that help them stay on task.
Scaffolding: Often when the stakes feel high, educators fall into the trap of either “handholding” behavior or giving students full responsibility without support. Both approaches can set students up for frustration and ultimately, failure.
Instead, creating scaffolds that meet students where they are skill-wise avoids the trap of enabling students or giving them too little structure. Scaffolds might include such things as role playing a phone call or breaking down assignments into
small parts with mini deadlines. Whatever the approach, scaffolding these skills is a vital part of helping young people be successful before, during, and after college.
Pathways thinking: One approach is to introduce a mindset that includes pathways thinking, or the process of identifying multiple routes to achieve a given goal. Helping students think through multiple avenues to the same outcome also helps
them bounce back and adjust plans as they confront barriers, rather than allowing those barriers to take them entirely off-course or causing them to give up.
Integrating self-regulation strategies does not necessarily mean adding new programs. Rather, it can be as simple as remembering to set aside time to “plan” and “reflect” prior to any existing activities you already have planned such as a college visit
or career fair. Before you send students off to complete a set of tasks associated with career or college applications, ask them to identify what challenges they might encounter so that together, you can brainstorm possible strategies to be employed as needed.
Regardless of how you begin to incorporate this into your work, simply recognizing that these skills are still in development will enable you to better meet students where they are developmentally, saving time and frustration for everyone involved.
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