Self-regulation is defined as the thoughts and behaviors involved in planning and executing goal-directed action (Zimmerman 2002), or the skills involved in getting things done.
Part of self-regulation is environmental regulation or optimizing the environment for goal completion. On questionnaires it's assessed using items like:
- I have a regular place set aside for studying.
- I usually study in a place where I can concentrate on my course work.
(Pintrich 1991)
It hasn't received much attention from researchers so far. Here are questions to be answered:
- Which factors do individuals believe make for effective study environments? How do they balance these factors in choosing study environments?
- Do the environmental factors that individuals believe to be effective really work?
- Are individuals' real choices about where to study consistent with their beliefs about what makes for an effective study environment?