Self-Regulating Intellectual Processes and Outcomes: A Social Cognitive Perspective

Abstract

At the dawn of the 21st century, many educational and psychological researchers are seeking to move beyond scientific understanding of human intellectual functioning based on correlations between motivational constructs and academic outcomes to a deeper understanding based on analyses of the causal interdependence of specific learning experiences, motivational beliefs, and academic outcomes. As research on strategy training has shown (Pressley, Borkowski, & Schneider, 1987), instructional efforts that lead to positive learning outcomes do not always produce sustained motivation, and conversely, instructional efforts to boost motivation of students without simultaneously improving their learning processes or competencies do not always produce sustained achievement (Schunk, 1991). Solving the reciprocity issue between learning and motivation is thus crucial to the advancement of educational practice.