Self-Regulation in Education: Examining Parent Reports and Behavioral Observations of Emotional Regulation and Executive Function in School-Aged Children

• Norah Hannum, Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park

• Teomara Rutherford, Education, University of Delaware

Self-regulation, which includes emotional regulation (ER) and executive functioning (EF), is closely associated with student motivation, engagement, and academic achievement. However, most educational studies rely heavily on parent-reported measures to evaluate students’ self-regulation, which can raise issues of validity. It is unclear whether self-regulation is contextual, and whether children express themselves differently at school, then they would at home. This study explores the relationship between parental perception of students’ self-regulation skills and students’ physical/behavioral expression, specifically focusing on frustration (ER) and attentional focus (EF). Twenty-six children aged 8 to 12 took part in an observational study while using the Spatial Temporal (ST) Math program. Researchers used the Baker Rodrigo Ocumpaugh Monitoring Protocol (BROMP) and a Gazepoint eye-tracker to spot signs of frustration and lapses in attention. They compared these observations with parent-reported data adapted from the Temperament in Middle Childhood Questionnaire (TMCQ). The findings produced no significant relationship between parent-reported measures and observed signs of frustration or attention loss from the eye-tracker. However, there was a significant relationship between parent-reported attentional focus and observed off-task behavior. This suggests that some aspects of executive function might be measurable across different contexts. Additionally, strong correlations were found between frustration and attention loss, indicating that emotional states may influence learning and focus. These results highlight the complexity of self-regulation and the possible limitations of current assessment methods. Future research should explore the connection between frustration and attentional focus in greater depth and seek stronger tools to measure self-regulation across various settings.