Academically At-Risk Learners in School Contexts

Abstract

Abstract Self-regulation plays a key role in children’s and adolescents’ academic, social-emotional, and physical health, as it helps them manage, control, and adapt their behaviors and thoughts to produce a desired end state. However, many academically at-risk learners have underlying exceptionalities that may affect the development and use of self-regulation processes. This chapter explores the link between student characteristics, self-regulated learning (SRL) skills, and academic outcomes, and details how innovative interventions support the development of SRL skills. Specifically, this chapter (a) examines the nature of regulatory skills among students with ADHD, SLD, and gifted underachievement and (b) reviews specific interventions that address motivation, metacognition, and strategy training. Future research should continue to explore the intersection among motivational, strategic, and metacognition among neurodiverse populations, but should place particular emphasis on feasibility and usability of reflection-based activities that may result in the most adaptive and healthy forms of strategic adaptation and motivation in students.