Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) is an intervention designed to improve students’ academic skills through a six-step process that teaches students specific academic strategies and self-regulation skills. The practice is especially appropriate for students with learning disabilities. The intervention begins with teacher direction and ends with students independently applying the strategy, such as planning and organizing ideas before writing an essay. More specifically, the six steps involve the teacher providing background knowledge, discussing the strategy with the student, modeling the strategy, helping the student memorize the strategy, supporting the strategy, and then watching as the student independently performs the strategy. A key part of the process is teaching self-regulation skills, such as goal-setting and self-monitoring, which aim to help students apply the strategy without guidance. The steps can be combined, changed, reordered, or repeated, depending on the needs of the student. The SRSD model can be used with students in grades 2 through 12 in individual, small group, or whole classroom settings.
Clearinghouse and Evidence Level
What Works Clearinghouse
The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) is an investment of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) within the U.S. Department of Education that was established in 2002. The work of the WWC is managed by a team of staff at IES and conducted under a set of contracts held by several leading firms with expertise in education, research methodology, and the dissemination of education research, including Abt Associates, American Institutes for Research, Development Services Group, Inc., and Mathematica. Each WWC contract focuses on furthering the goals of the WWC. Information about active WWC contract work can be found on the “WWC Content Teams” page. Visit the “What We Do” section of the WWC website to learn more about the type of work happening at the WWC.
Level 3
Promising evidence from at least one well-designed and well-implemented correlational study.
Quick Stats
Content Focus Area
Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment
Grade Band
Elementary School; Middle School; High School
Number of studies
10
Intervention Information
The information below provides details and characteristics of the intervention. The presented information is sourced from another clearinghouse. To learn more about the intervention, click through to the Source clearinghouse.
This page displays information on the population and settings in which studies were conducted on the intervention’s effectiveness. This means that the intervention has some level of positive evidence in the listed student populations and context. Remember to take your school’s context and population into consideration when selecting an intervention. Read more on selecting interventions.
| Resource Type | Evidence Review | This presents the grade level of students represented in the reviewed studies for this intervention. On the OEBC, grade bands are categorized into four levels: Early Childhood (Birth-Age 5), Elementary School (Grades K-5), Middle School (Grades 6-8), and High School (Grades 9-12). |
|---|---|---|
| Subject Area | English Language Arts | This refers to the school subjects: English Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies. An intervention will be tagged with a subject if a reviewed study by the source clearinghouse has found that the intervention led to positive results in learning in that subject. |
| Setting | Not Listed | This presents the setting represented in the reviewed studies for this intervention. On the OEBC, setting has three categories: Rural, Urban, and Suburban. |
| Demographic |
| Demographic information refers to the student’s race/ethnicity and gender. It also includes information on subpopulations (e.g. Students with Disabilities, English Learners, Economically Disadvantaged, Justice Involved, and Foster Care). On the OEBC, an intervention is only tagged with demographic information if that intervention is specifically designed for, and has been reviewed on, that demographic. Please click through to the source clearinghouse to find total demographic breakdowns of all students who have taken part in a study on the intervention. |
| Training Needed | Listed | This indicates if the source clearinghouse has information on training needed to implement the intervention. | Length of Program or Delivery | Listed | This indicates if the source clearinghouse has information on how long the intervention takes to implement (e.g. session delivery time and/or how many days or weeks it takes to implement). |
| Cost | Listed | This indicates if the source clearinghouse has information on the cost to implement the intervention. |
| Effect Size | Not Listed | This indicates if the source clearinghouse provides an effect size for the intervention. Please visit the source clearinghouse to find the effect size and read more about the studies on this intervention. |
Studies Cited
- Case, L. P., Harris, K. R., & Graham, S. (1992). Improving the mathematical problem-solving skills of students with learning disabilities: Self-regulated strategy development. Journal of Special Education, 26(1), 1–19. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ448562.
- Danoff, B., Harris, K. R., & Graham, S. (1993). Incorporating strategy instruction within the writing process in the regular classroom: Effects on the writing of students with and without learning disabilities. Journal of Reading Behavior, 25(3), 295–322. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ472501.
- De La Paz, S. (1999). Self-regulated strategy instruction in regular education settings: Improving outcomes for students with and without learning disabilities. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 14(2), 92–106. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ587699.
- De La Paz, S., & Graham, S. (1997). Strategy instruction in planning: Effects on the writing performance and behavior of students with learning difficulties. Exceptional Children, 63(2), 167–181. Retrieved from https://eric. ed.gov/?id=EJ542671.
- Graham, S., & Harris, K. R. (1989). Improving learning disabled students’ skills at composing essays: Self-instructional strategy training. Exceptional Children, 56(3), 201–214. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ400693.
- Saddler, B. (2006). Increasing story writing ability through self-regulated strategy development: Effects on young writers with learning disabilities. Learning Disability Quarterly, 29(4), 291–305. Retrieved from https://eric. ed.gov/?id=EJ786220.
- Saddler, B., & Asaro, K. (2007). Increasing story quality through planning and revising: Effects on young writers with learning disabilities. Learning Disability Quarterly, 30(4), 223–234. Retrieved from https://eric. ed.gov/?id=EJ786254.
- Sexton, M., Harris, K. R., & Graham, S. (1998). Self-regulated strategy development and the writing process: Effects on essay writing and attributions. Exceptional Children, 64(3), 295–311. Retrieved from https://eric. ed.gov/?id=EJ563946.
- Straub, C. L. (2012). The effects of synchronous online cognitive strategy instruction in writing for students with learning disabilities (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from http://stars.library.ucf.edu/.
- Troia, G. A., Graham, S., & Harris, K. R. (1999). Teaching students with learning disabilities to mindfully plan when writing. Exceptional Children, 65(2), 235–252. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ579491.