Charlotte Dignath

In a sixth-grade history class, students are asked to write a short report on the causes of World War I using textbook materials. Most students immediately begin searching for keywords to complete ...

This systematic review synthesizes and organizes existing research on teachers’ professional knowledge related to self-regulated learning (SRL) and its assessment. Although teachers play a central role in fostering and evaluating students’ SRL, the field lacks conceptual clarity regarding the types of knowledge required for these tasks. Drawing on established models of teacher professional competencies and knowledge, this review distinguishes three interrelated dimensions that together constitute the Teacher Knowledge of SRL (TK-SRL) framework: content knowledge of SRL (CK-SRL), pedagogical content knowledge for promoting SRL (PCK-SRL), and assessment knowledge for diagnosing SRL (AK-SRL). Across 33 included studies, substantial variability was evident in how teachers’ knowledge of SRL was conceptualized and operationalized. Definitions of SRL ranged from comprehensive theoretical accounts to broad, implicitly stated descriptions, thereby limiting comparability across studies. Methodological heterogeneity and the use of non-standardized assessment approaches further constrained the synthesis of findings. CK-SRL was by far the most frequently examined dimension, whereas PCK-SRL and, particularly, AK-SRL received considerably less empirical attention. Overall, the evidence suggests that teachers have partial, unevenly developed knowledge across all three dimensions, with limited and inconsistent associations between knowledge and other aspects of professional competence or instructional practice. These findings highlight the need for clearer, shared conceptualizations of SRL and more coherent, theory-driven approaches to assessing teachers’ knowledge of SRL. Building on this synthesis, we discuss implications for teacher education, propose directions for future research, and emphasize the importance of sustained professional development to strengthen all facets of teachers’ knowledge of SRL.

Self-regulation competence is known to be a critical driver of academic achievement, mental health, and lifelong success. However, research on education and educational practice in K-12 remains fragmented in that groups of researchers focus on conceptualizations from different traditions, including self-regulated learning (SRL), executive functions (EFs) and personality psychology (e.g., conscientiousness), and there is limited cross-talk between these groups. In this article, we propose an integrated multicomponent model that unifies these perspectives and conceptualizes self-regulation competence as a developmental “superpower” that is both predictive of a broad range of outcomes and amenable to educational support. We examine three core propositions: (1) Self-regulation competence—broadly defined—predicts important cognitive, social, and emotional outcomes in school and across the life span; (2) SRL, EFs, and conscientiousness show considerable conceptual and empirical overlap, supporting their integration into a comprehensive framework; and (3) self-regulation competence can be effectively fostered through targeted and embedded educational interventions. To fully develop and exploit the superpower qualities of self-regulation competence, promoting self-regulation competence should become a guiding principle of education systems. High-quality teaching—characterized by effective classroom management, cognitive activation, and student support—and whole-school approaches are needed to orchestrate the promotion of self-regulation competence in real-world educational contexts.

Teachers are key players in the successful inclusion of children on the autism spectrum. However, they often feel that they are not adequately prepared for this challenge. As a result, there are new efforts to improve education training and professional development, but what content needs to be taught and what skills need to be trained to prepare teachers well for inclusion? Teacher training should be based on research findings to strengthen teachers’ competence development in a targeted manner. The current state of research regarding teachers’ competences in supporting students on the autism spectrum appears to be inconsistent and theoretically fragmented. This systematic review therefore offers a comprehensive overview of 52 instruments that claim to measure teachers’ competences in the inclusion of autistic children. These were classified on the basis of the model of teachers’ professional competence by Kunter et al. (2013) in knowledge, beliefs, and motivation, and examined in terms of their conceptualization and the operationalization of these aspects. This review reveals considerable heterogeneity among the instruments, both in their disciplinary and content-related orientations as well as in their measurement quality, but also more fundamental issues: While some promising assessment approaches were identified, a common limitation across most studies was their insufficient engagement with the current discourse on the inclusion of autistic children, which has changed significantly in recent years. The results of this review provide valuable guidance for future instrument development and contribute to a more coherent theoretical foundation for research on teachers’ professional competence in teaching autistic children.

Many students rarely use self-regulated learning (SRL) strategies, and little is known about what drives this variation. This study investigates which facets of SRL competence predict students’ reported strategy use and performance, and whether these facets can be enhanced through video-based modeling. Based on conceptual change theory, we hypothesize that learners’ initial SRL competence influences their ability to acquire SRL strategies. A total of 157 university students participated in a quasi-experimental lab study using a pre-, post-, and follow-up design. Participants watched one of three SRL modeling videos (mastery, coping, control) and completed questionnaires and reflection tasks assessing SRL beliefs, knowledge, and strategy use. Inconsistent beliefs and the interaction between self-efficacy and utility beliefs negatively predicted reported SRL use, while performance was positively associated with SRL knowledge, self-efficacy, and reported strategy use. Participants in the intervention condition showed significantly greater increases in SRL knowledge and reduced inconsistent beliefs. Most notably, learners with an initially low to average SRL strategy use showed the largest improvements following the intervention. These findings underscore the potential importance of addressing both cognitive and belief-related components of SRL. The findings suggest that modeling videos may support conceptual change and the development of SRL competence, particularly among less experienced learners.

Self-regulated learning (SRL) is a key competence for pre-service teachers to develop, both for their own activities as learners and for their future activities as teachers. Therefore, it is crucial to understand how pre-service teachers can be supported in acquiring SRL competence in their initial training. To reach this aim, we conducted a systematic review of SRL interventions for pre-service teachers. Sixty-six intervention studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. We explored three aspects of those SRL interventions, and how they moderate the interventions’ effectiveness: (1) the theoretical and practical underpinnings of SRL, (2) whether the intervention aimed to promote SRL learning and/or teaching of SRL, and (3) the intervention’s pedagogical characteristics and content related to the SRL professional competences. We found that the most effective SRL interventions (1) focused the training on one or two SRL areas (especially cognition and metacognition); (2) when targeted both, SRL learning and teaching of SRL, pre-service teachers’ SRL skills improved as well as their pedagogical skills; and (3) addressed direct and implicit SRL instruction, inside which self-assessment of learning and teaching practices appear as an effective pedagogical method. We derive implications from our findings for designing effective SRL interventions for prospective teachers.