Key design elements of self-regulation spaces within inclusive elementary school classrooms

Abstract

Studies have shown that students who struggle with self-regulation often have increased difficulty meeting learning and behavioural demands in the typical classroom environment. Various researchers recommend the inclusion of a withdrawal space within the classroom, where students can go when they are feeling upset, angry, or otherwise dysregulated. Such a space can help students to calm down, self-regulate, and then rejoin the rest of the class. The purpose of this applied project is to support educators in designing self-regulation spaces rooted in research, within their inclusive classroom environments. An in-depth analysis of the literature around self-regulation, inclusion, classroom design, and self-regulation spaces informed the design and implementation of a website that supports educators and answers the guiding questions, “How can elementary school teachers design research-informed self-regulation spaces in their inclusive classroom environments to support students with self-regulation?” and “What are the key design elements of effective self-regulation spaces?”