Abstract: In the first section of this chapter I argue that laypeople and researchers still have a hazy sense of what self-regulation entails. I highlight recent conceptualizations and empirical findings related to the self-regulation of motivation and effort, documenting why we cannot comprehend children's and adolescents' engagement and persistence in the classroom unless we understand how they steer and direct their behavior in the direction of valued goals and away from undesired goals. Accordingly, I propose to look at engagement and disengagement patterns from a self-regulation perspective. I supply examples from recent research, including my own research program, to illustrate how we have translated our theorizing about self-regulation of motivation and effort into research designs and into practice (guided principles for intervention), but also how practice led back into theory. In the final section, I offer some principles for research and practice and also point to some unresolved issues.
