Work Habits and Self-Regulated Learning: Helping Students to Find a “Will” from a “Way”

This chapter focuses on motivation as a consequence of learning to self-regulate, arguing that a facility for learning is, in itself, a motivator. By engaging productively in academic pursuits, an individual can enjoy being a student and develop confidence about schoolwork. When productive engagement reaches the point at which students are judged publicly to have good work habits, the ramifications are nontrivial. Students with good work habits are recognized and given status as full participants in their school community. What is more, students tend to carry this sort of recognition throughout their school years. To elaborate these points, I first discuss some relevant history and concepts.