This literature review aims to identify the research advancements related to the self-regulation strategies when learning English and the suggested paths to follow. Efforts on this issue are intended to validate theoretical constructs, to develop measuring instruments, to identify those highly used strategies and how they relate to other aspects in the learners. Therefore, the concept self-regulation has led to transformations that —added to notions from the theory of complexity and the recognition of the context significance for the learning process— suggest using qualitative research approaches