Abstract
This scoping review has explored the interventions and approaches used by teachers in mainstream (general education) primary schools (students aged 4–11) to support self-regulation skill development in the classroom. The review followed the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines for reporting and was guided by the Joanna Briggs Institute Framework for Scoping Reviews. Following screening and selection, 16 papers were identified; 14 of these examined practices with students under the age of seven. Data analysis revealed limited use of commercially available self-regulation intervention programmes in real-world classrooms. When specific intervention programmes were discussed, they were researcher-allocated rather than teacher-selected. This could indicate a research-to-practice gap, whereby available evidence-based self-regulation intervention programmes have not been adopted by classroom teachers. Instead the review identified 68 distinct strategies used by teachers to support students’ self-regulation. The most commonly used strategies were problem-solving opportunities, group games and classroom arrangement. Following thematic analysis, the strategies were mapped into five practice areas: teacher facilitation, activities, resources, relationships and physical environment. Teacher facilitation was the most prominent practice area, highlighting teachers’ central role in fostering student self-regulation. Many of the identified strategies overlapped with broader classroom management practices and existing teaching frameworks, suggesting the need for clearer frameworks to distinguish self-regulation-specific support strategies from general teaching practices. The data mapping provide a preliminary structure that, with further validation, could support future researchers and practitioners in disentangling the conceptual overlap present in this area of practice.