Motivation orientation, planning, and self-evaluation strategies were examined in 25 students in grades 6 through 8. The students' answers to the surveys were audiotaped, transcribed, and analyzed. Recurrent themes were identified and were chosen for examples that most reflected students' ideas and strategies. On the issue of motivation, the importance of doing well evoked both external and internal reasons for the students. For questions concerning planning, it was found that participants attempted to faithfully follow their teachers' task demands. Self evaluation was gauged by the degree of help anticipated or sought during an activity and the degree of confidence felt about the outcomes of each activity. The results showed that participants expressed themselves more spontaneously before doing an academic task. After completing the task, they were more reluctant to discuss their beliefs about the task-at-hand. The second significant implication concerned the methodological strategies of probing the before and after self-regulation process. Planning does not just occur in the early phase of the task but can be an ongoing process. Findings suggest that tapping different moments in the process of self-regulation is important. (JDM)