The Effects of Self-Regulated Strategy Development on Students with Emotional/Behavioral Disorders: A Literature Review

Students identified with or at risk for emotional/behavioral disorders (EBD) face a number of challenges, both academic and behavioral (Trout et al., 2003). Individuals in this disability category especially struggle due to their challenges with self-regulation skills. These difficulties make it strenuous for students with EBD to regulate their thoughts, feelings, actions, and environments that may serve as distractions when attempting to attend to key learning tasks, including written expression. Self-regulated strategy development (SRSD) is a general framework of intervention designed to guide students through the complex process of writing while embedding necessary strategy instruction in self-monitoring, self-instruction, goal setting, and self-reinforcement (Harris & Graham, 1996). In this literature review, I examine ten studies of the efficacy of SRSD strategy instruction for students identified with or at risk of EBD. Based on the evidence provided by these studies, I venture to make the claim that SRSD is a highly effective writing intervention for students with EBD across grade levels, writing genres, namely narrative, informative, and persuasive, and educational settings such as public schools, specialized private schools, and residential treatment facilities (RTFs).