I’ve written and shared tons on the importance of self-control (see Best Posts About Helping Students Develop Their Capacity For Self-Control).

Recently, there’s been more attention devoted to the idea of “self-regulation” than to “self-control.”  Though some researchers put a lot effort into distinguishing the two (see Why It’s ‘Self-Reg,’ Not Self-Control, That Matters Most For Kids and Self-Regulation vs. Self Control), I’m not entirely convinced that most educators distinguish between them in our practice.

At least based on my understanding of the difference – and feel free to correct me if I’m wrong – it seems that some researchers are saying self-control is the surface behavior that is being exhibited and self-regulation is more looking at the root causes of that self-control or lack of it.

It seems obvious to me that when we consider self-control issues in the classroom, we also want to look at its various causes. But, again, maybe I’m missing something.

Whatever the case, however, a new study has come out reinforcing its importance.

You can read about it at The secret to honing kids’ language and literacy and see the actual study here.

Here’s an excerpt: