Self-regulation, a social-cognitive process at the intersection of metacognition, motivation, and behavior, encompasses how people conceptualize, strive for, and accomplish their goals. Self-regulation is critical for behavioral change regardless of the context. Research indicates that self-regulation is learned. Integral to successful self-regulation of behavior are: (a) an articulated concept of one’s possible selves, (b) metacognitive knowledge and effective strategies, and (c) a sense of one’s own agency. We present the theoretical linkages, research evidence, and applied utility for these three components in promoting self-regulation of behavior, specifically in the domain of learning. We propose the MAPS model to account for the pathways of influence that lead to behavioral change. This model illustrates the dynamic and feed-forward processes that derive from the interactions among possible selves, metacognition, and agency to provide the context for developing self-regulated and effective learning that promotes student success, the transfer of knowledge, and the foundation for life-long learning.

自我调节是元认知、动机和行为交叉的社会认知过程，包括人们如何概念化、争取和实现他们的目标。无论环境如何，自我调节对于行为改变都至关重要。研究表明，自我调节是后天习得的。成功的行为自我调节不可或缺的是：（a）一个人可能的自我的清晰概念，（b）元认知知识和有效策略，以及（c）一个人自己的能动性意识。我们介绍了这三个组成部分在促进行为自我调节方面的理论联系、研究证据和应用效用，特别是在学习领域。我们提出了 MAPS 模型来解释导致行为改变的影响途径。