Considering class-based values related to guardian involvement and the development of self-regulated learning

Conceptions of self-regulated learning are often considered neutral and value-free. As a result, researchers tend to ignore issues of social class. In this analysis, a sociological lens is used to examine some of the class-based values embedded in the literature related to guardian involvement and the development of children’s self-regulated learning. It is well documented that qualities and quantities of guardian involvement differ across class backgrounds. Considering these differences, the kinds of guardian involvement that have been identified for supporting self-regulated learning align with middle-class culture. By endorsing this alignment, the discourse of self-regulated learning can be implicated in the reproduction of class-based normative values. In order to ensure that research and pedagogy related to self-regulated learning are not part of the reproduction of inequality and discrimination in schools, it is important to consider ways this construct is entangled in class politics and power.