Christopher Wolters

Christopher Wolters
Professor, Department of Educational Studies
(614) 688-2084

Biography

Christopher A. Wolters joined the faculty at The Ohio State University in 2013. He served as Director of the Walter E. Dennis Learning Center until 2022. He is a professor for the Educational Psychology program in the Department of Educational Studies. Prior to coming to Ohio State, he was a faculty member at the University of Houston for 17 years. He earned his PhD in the Combined Program in Educational and Psychology (1996) at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Dr. Wolters has an extensive record of professional service that includes positions on the executive committee for Division 15 (Educational Psychology) of the American Psychological Association and Division C (Learning and Instruction) of the American Educational Research Association. He is a member of the Editorial Boards for both Educational Psychologist and the Metacognition and Learning. 

Dr. Wolters has a substantial record of research and scholarly publications focused on understanding students’ motivation and self-regulated learning, including the development of these processes during adolescence and how they interact to influence students’ academic engagement, learning and achievement. Many of his studies have investigated the strategies students use to actively regulate their cognition, motivation, and behavior, and how these strategies relate to academic performance. His most recent publications include empirical studies examining college students’ self-regulation of their motivation, time management, and chapters describing practical and theoretical aspects of self-regulated learning among college students.

Education

  • PhD, Education and Psychology, University of Michigan, 1996
  • MA, Developmental Psychology, University of Michigan, 1994
  • BA, Psychology, University of Michigan, 1988

Research Interests

Research Summary

Wolters' expertise is focused on investigating and extending a model of self-regulated learning that can be used to understand and improve students’ engagement, learning and academic achievement. He is particularly interested in motivation as both an influence on students’ self-regulation as well as a target of this process. His work also includes efforts to understand the contextual factors that impact students’ motivation and self-regulation, as well as measurement and validity issues central to these areas of research.

Selected Publications

  • Wolters, C., Brady, A., & Lee, H.J. (2025). Time management and achievement motivation: A review of what we know and directions for where to go. Educational Psychology Review, 37. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-025-10032-4
  • Won, S., & Wolters, C. (2024). Understanding the relations between achievement goals and self-regulated learning: A multiple goals perspective. Educational Psychology, 44(6-7), 710–729. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2024.2392013
  • Kim, Y., Yu, S., Wolters, C., & Anderman, E. (2023). Self-regulatory processes within and between diverse goals: The multiple goals regulation framework. Educational Psychologist, 58(2), 70–91. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2022.2158828
  • Wolters, C., Iaconelli, R., Peri, J., Hensley, L. & Kim, M. (2023). Improving self-regulated learning and academic engagement: Evaluating a college learning to learn course. Learning and Individual Differences, 103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2023.102282
  • Brady, A., Wolters, C., & Yu, S. (2022). Self-regulation of time: The importance of time estimation accuracy. Frontiers in Psychology, 24. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.925812
  • Kim, Y., Yu, S., Wolters, C., & Anderman, E. (2021). Academic, social, and well-being goals in the classroom: The dynamic interplay between multiple goals and self-regulatory processes. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2021.102018
  • Wolters, C. A. & Brady, A. C. (2021). College students' time management: A self-regulated learning perspective. Educational Psychology Review, 33, 1319–1351. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-020-09519-z
  • Kim, Y., Brady, A., & Wolters, C. (2020). College students' regulation of cognition, motivation, behavior, and context: Distinct or overlapping processes? Learning and Individual Differences, 80. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2020.101872
  • Iaconelli, R. & Wolters, C. (2020). Insufficient effort responding in surveys assessing self-regulated learning: Nuisance or fatal flaw? Frontline Learning Research, 8. https://doi.org/10.14786/flr.v8i3.521
  • Won, S., Hensley, L., & Wolters, C. A. (2019). Brief research report: Sense of belonging and academic help-seeking as self-regulated learning. Journal of Experimental Education, 89, 112–124. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220973.2019.1703095
  • Hensley, L., Wolters, C. A., Won, S., & Brady, A. (2018). Academic probation, time management, and time use in a college success course. Journal of College Reading and Learning, 48, 105–123.
  • Kim, Y., Brady, A., & Wolters, C. (2018). Development and validation of the Brief Regulation of Motivation Scale. Learning and Individual Differences. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2017.12.010
  • Wolters, C., & Won, S. (2017). Validity and the use of self-report questionnaires to assess self-regulated learning. In D. Schunk and J. Greene (Eds.), Handbook of self-regulation of learning and performance (2nd ed., pp. 307–322). New York: Routledge.
  • Wolters, C., Won, S., & Hussain, M. (2017). Examining the relations of time management and procrastination within a model of self-regulated learning. Metacognition and Learning. doi: 10.1007/s11409-017-9174-1
  • Won, S., Wolters, C. A., & Mueller, S. (2017). Sense of belonging and self-regulated learning: Testing achievement goals as mediators. Journal of Experimental Education. doi: 10.1080/00220973.2016.1277337