Self-Regulated Learning, Academic Motivation, and Engagement Across Educational Contexts

This is the first Volume of a Research Topic Series. You can find the Second Volume at this link.Self-regulated learning (SRL), academic motivation, and student engagement are among the most studied constructs in educational psychology — and also among the most variably operationalised. Across the literature, 'engagement' may refer to behavioural participation, emotional investment, cognitive effort, or all three simultaneously; 'motivation' spans self-determination theory, expectancy-value frameworks, achievement goal theory, and self-efficacy models. The result is a rich but fragmented body of knowledge. This Research Topic provides a focused venue for work that advances conceptual clarity, measurement precision, and practical applicability of these constructs across K-12, higher education, and vocational learning contexts.Particular priority is placed on studies that illuminate the mechanisms connecting SRL, motivation, and engagement to durable learning outcomes — not merely concurrent associations. What regulatory strategies reliably predict deep processing? Under what conditions does intrinsic motivation translate into persistence through difficulty? How do engagement patterns shift across educational transitions, disciplines, or learning modalities? Papers employing longitudinal designs, experience-sampling methods, or experimental manipulation of regulatory conditions are especially welcome, as are theoretically grounded measurement studies that improve the construct validity of commonly used SRL and engagement instruments.The topic also welcomes work situating SRL and motivation within contemporary educational challenges: the role of digital and AI-assisted environments in shaping how students plan and monitor their study, and the increasing diversity of learner populations including first-generation students, those in vocational pathways, and learners navigating high-stakes educational transitions. Synthesis papers that reconcile conflicting findings across the SRL, motivation, and engagement literatures are particularly needed.TOPICS COVERED· Self-regulated learning strategies and their relationship to academic achievement· Metacognitive monitoring, calibration, and judgements of learning· Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation across K-12 and higher education contexts· Achievement goal theory and surface vs. deep approaches to learning· Growth mindset and academic self-efficacy as predictors of persistence· Academic procrastination: antecedents, mechanisms, and effective interventions· Academic burnout and the demand-resource balance in student populations· Cognitive, emotional, and behavioural dimensions of engagement and their interrelations· Teacher support, classroom climate, and student motivational regulation· SRL in online, hybrid, and technology-enhanced learning environments· Measurement and structural validity of SRL, motivation, and engagement scales· SRL and motivational regulation across educational transitions and vocational pathwaysARTICLE TYPES WELCOMEDOriginal Research | Systematic Review | Meta-Analysis | Intervention Study | Scale Development / Validation Topic editors: Daniel H Robinson Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/81953/self-regulated-learning-academic-motivation-and-engagement-across-educational-contexts