Abstract. For learners, motivational regulation represents a daily challenge in terms of initiating, increasing and maintaining motivation. Crucial here is conditional knowledge about which motivational regulation strategies are appropriate for which specific motivational problems. This paper addresses the relationships between this type of strategy knowledge and regulatory effectiveness and characteristics of learning behavior. In a sample of 188 undergraduates, this strategy knowledge – assessed with a newly developed Situational Judgement Test – showed moderately positive correlations with motivational regulation on the behavioral level. Moreover, it was positively related to the effectiveness of motivational regulation and effort. Hence, conditional motivational regulation strategy knowledge is relevant and contributes to an extended understanding of motivational regulation in the higher education context.

Procrastination can theoretically be conceived of as a motivational selfregulatory failure and is assumed to be a risk factor of college dropout in the higher education context. It was hypothesized that students' procrastination and college dropout intentions are closely related with their motivational regulation-in terms of the effectiveness of their efforts to self-regulate their motivation and in terms of the strategic knowledge behind the actual regulation attempts (conditional knowledge about the suitability of different motivational regulation strategies in different motivational problem situations). Data from 515 college students, who participated in an online study and stem from a variety of fields of study (58% female; average age of 23.2 years), was analyzed to test the hypothesized relationships. Structural equation modeling indicated that conditional motivational regulation strategy knowledge was positively linked to the effectiveness of motivational regulation, which in turn was negatively linked to academic procrastination and college dropout intentions. Subsequently, academic procrastination was positively related with college dropout intentions. A total negative indirect effect of conditional strategy knowledge on college dropout intentions was mediated by effectiveness of regulation and academic procrastination. The results are in line with the assumption that good competences to regulate one's own motivation are an important protection factor against academic procrastination and college dropout.

Previous studies have shown that the use of motivational regulation strategies has the potential to sustain invested effort and persistence in the learning process. Combining different methods (questionnaires and standardized diaries), the present study aimed to determine the role of motivational regulation in an exam preparation period. Motivational regulation is differentiated in a quantitative (extent of strategy use) and a qualitative (planning, implementing, monitoring, and correcting strategy use) aspect. One hundred and fifteen university students reported the quantity and quality of their motivational regulation strategy use in a pretest and kept a standardized learning diary focused on motivational difficulties and invested effort over a 14-day period just before an exam in their studies. Exam performance was assessed afterward. Results revealed positive effects of both aspects of motivational regulation on invested effort in exam preparation and exam performance. Moreover, a high quality of motivational regulation was associated with reduced negative effects of motivational difficulties on invested effort during studying—implying that motivational regulation can buffer against specific motivational problems occurring in the learning process.

Abstract. Learners utilize a variety of strategies to regulate their motivation. Theoretical models of motivational regulation imply a connection between the decision for a concrete strategy and the specific situational requirements. Accordingly, one would expect that the suitability of a strategy depends on how well it fits the motivational problem in question. Since reliable findings on this point are missing, we conducted a survey of N = 33 proven experts in the field of self-regulated learning to enlighten the suitability of nine strategies for six different motivational problems. Our findings showed that the suitability of a group of strategies was consistently considered dependent on the given motivational problem (e. g., ability-focus self-talk was suitable to enhance motivation for a difficult task) – pointing to the importance of conditional strategy knowledge for learners. For another group of strategies, experts’ suitability judgments were indifferent, indicating that strategy suitability may also comprise idiosyncratic (i. e., person-specific) aspects.

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