











































Emerging Perspectives 
ep.journalhosting.ucalgary.ca 
 

 

Review of the book Developing Self-Regulation of Learning and Teacher Skills 
among Teacher Candidates 

by Héfer Bembenutty, Marie C. White and Miriam R. Vélez  
New York, /USA: SpringerBriefs in Education, 2015, 134 pages 
ISBN: 978-94-017-9949-2 (paperback) 
Reviewed by  
Lena Barrantes Elizondo* 
University of Calgary 

Barrantes Elizondo, L. (2017). [Review of the book Developing Self-Regulation of 
Learning and Teacher Skills among Teacher Candidates, by H. Bembenutty, M.  C. 
White, & M. R. Vélez]. Emerging Perspectives, 1(2), 1-2. 

Zimmerman and Schunk (2011) defined self-regulation learning as “the processes 
whereby learners personally activate and sustain cognitions, affects and behaviours that are 
systematically oriented toward the attainment of personal goals” (p.1). These processes make 
learners cognizant of their academic strengths and weaknesses. In their book, Bembenutty, White 
and Vélez (2015) shared an integral account of a 4-year, longitudinal case study that reports the 
success of enhancing self-regulatory skills, self-efficacy and the sense of agency of 
undergraduate students in their teacher preparation program (p. 1).  

The book has seven chapters, preceded by the editors’ preface and two forewords by W. 
McKeachie and A. Kitsantas, respectively. Each chapter has a well-crafted discussion of the 
topics that make the book particularly easy to follow. However, each chapter also has its own 
abstract, keywords and a list of references that interferes with fluent reading of the book. This 
text is targeted to an audience of education college and university instructors. Unfortunately, it is 
loaded with particular research details of the study reported. In chapters, one, three, four and six, 
the authors introduce and develop in detail their research methodology. This book describes step 
by step the case study design used; however, I would have liked to see more attention to the 
findings and their contribution to similar contexts and future research. Instead, the book devotes 
most of its pages to document one specific study. Chapter seven presents a brief but clear 
examination of the major findings. Here lies some of the main contribution of this section and 
the book itself, which is that it reveals that teacher candidates can be more effective teachers if 
they have training on self-regulation and have strong support from their peers, their instructors 
and their institution. 

There is much of value in this book for teacher education program stakeholders seeking 
to foster self-regulatory strategies in teacher candidates’ learning experiences. I suspect; 
however, that students reading alone will find the book limited to a report of a study. The 
theoretical heart of the book, though short, is the chapter that deals with the theoretical 
contributions and brings into perspective the issue of student self-regulation. It is an asset that 

                                                        
* lena.barrantes@ucalgary.ca 



Barrantes Elizondo / Emerging Perspectives                                           2 

takes a look at the understanding of self-regulation and self-efficacy. To be specific, self-efficacy 
is approached by examining its role in learning and in teachers’ beliefs where Bandura (1997) 
and Zimmerman’s (2000; 2002) theoretical constructions are the basis of understanding. This 
chapter then explains the cyclical phases and developmental levels of self-regulation. 
Furthermore, the book presents research evidence of the contribution of these theories in the 
documented experiences of four teacher candidates.  

Supporting themes in this book are derived from the main findings described in chapter 
seven. The researchers reported motivation, cognition, resource management and academic 
environment as the main themes each of them with a list of subcategories. For example, self-
efficacy beliefs for learning and teaching, intrinsic motivation, and goal setting were important 
guides for student-teachers’ actions and motivation. Similarly, organizational skills and 
metacognitive self-regulation informed cognition. Regarding resource management, control of 
time and study, and academic delay of gratification were key findings. Finally, four external 
environmental factors influenced participants' learning and teaching endeavours: The resources 
available, instructor expectations, the nature of learning activity and the nature of the social 
context and level of support. Along with these main findings, the role of social skills such as 
seeking for help and asking questions was a distinguishing characteristic of the teacher 
candidates.  

This book’s greatest strength is that it shows how self-regulation can be fostered and 
studied in teacher preparation training. In addition to proving of particular interest for 
professional and graduate student audiences interested in self-regulation issues, the book should 
provide a valuable resource for teacher trainers examining self-efficacy, self-control, help 
seeking and support from the institution for teacher candidates and in-service teachers. The 
authors give a report on their case study and share an extensive reference list. They highlight the 
importance of taking a proactive and strategic approach by teacher trainers.  

The main limitation of this book is that it is restricted to be a brief report of a single 
research in a particular context; however, it certainly makes the reader want to delve deeper into 
the subject. Regarding research procedures, the limited participant sample size (four student-
teachers) makes the conclusions reported restricted to four Hispanic teacher candidates in an 
urban setting. Also, the findings report in chapter seven is shorter than expected. The lack of a 
thick description when putting all pieces together in this section makes for too brief of an 
account.    

References 

Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York, NY:W.H. Freeman.   

Bembenutty, H., White, M.C., & Vélez, M.R. (2015). Developing self-regulation of learning and 
teacher skills among teacher candidates. New York, NY: Springer. 

Zimmerman, B.J. (2000). Attainment of self-regulation: A social cognitive perspective. In M. 
Boekaerts, P.R. Pintrich, & M. Zeidner (Eds.), Handbook of self-regulation (pp.13-39). 
San Diego, CA: Academic Press.   

Zimmerman, B.J. (2002). Becoming a self-regulated learner: An overview. Theory Into Practice, 
41(2), 64-70.  

Zimmerman, B. J. & Schunk, D. H. (2011). Handbook of self-regulation of learning and 
performance. New York, NY: Routledge. 


