ABSTRACT
Nelson-Le Gall’s (1981, 1985) differentiation between instrumental help seeking (that focuses on understanding) and executive help seeking (designed to avoid work) initiated extensive research on the person and situation determinants of whether, for what reasons, and from whom students seek help when confronted with learning difficulties (e.g., Butler, 1998; Karabenick, 1998; Newman, 2000). There is now substantial evidence that instrumental (also referred to as autonomous) help seeking can be considered an adaptive strategy and an important form of self-regulated learning. Self-regulating students, who employ other learning strategies, are more likely to seek help when necessary (Karabenick, 1998). In an adaptive sequence, students determine they need help, decide to seek it, identify and obtain assistance from knowledgeable sources, and effectively process the assistance they receive (Newman, 1998). Rather than necessarily indicative of dependency, students who seek help in this manner can become less rather than more reliant on others when future difficulties arise.
