Fostering Self-Regulation Skills of Adolescents With Significant Behavior Problems: Effects of the I Control Curriculum

• In Event: Fostering Self-Determination, Self-Regulation, and Self-Efficacy in Inclusive Settings

Abstract

Over the years, researchers have established that students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) typically lack the skills necessary for positive social and emotional functioning oftentimes due to lack of appropriate self-regulatory processes. Thus, special educators need effective strategies to increase self-regulation abilities for students with EBD to ameliorate their negative behaviors. To that end, we developed and are now conducting a three-year randomized controlled field trial of the efficacy of the I Control curriculum that provides sequenced, explicit, and intensive self-regulation skill instruction for middle school students with EBD. We report first-year direct and indirect effects indicating that I Control students showed significantly more improvement than the comparison group on measures of overall behavior regulation, self-monitoring, and emotion control.

Authors

• Stephen W. Smith, University of Florida

• Megan Worth, University of Florida

• Brian R. Barber, Kent State University