Learning strategies and metacognitive awareness

Slavonic Pedagogical Studies Journal, 2015

The following text deals with the metacognitive strategies. All authors introduce readers into the metacognition terminology and knowledge and describe in detail contemporary trends in the field of metacognitive strategy research. Authors acquaint the reader to the current findings of empirical researches and also they point out the importance of the elementary implementation of metacognitive activities into the educational process. Key words metacognition, metacognitive strategies, comprehension strategies, problem solving strategies many experts in the field of education the key to a new dimension of a student's potential which needs to be examined in detail. So far we have discovered very little about the process of how individuals go from the rather passive and unintended usage of strategies, to active and towards-the-goal-aimed usage which can be more frequently observed among older and more experienced students and especially adults. (Waters-Schneider, 2009). The proper use of metacognition shows undeniable trend towards understanding and describing suspected and unsuspected possibilities in education. Metacognition Metacognition is usually described as thought process of thinking (Lai, 2011), or as the knowledge of control over the inner cognitive activities during the learning process, therefore we are more likely to gain and use already known knowledge of the cognitive processes themselves and their predispositions, plus their ability to alter, improve and develop these processes and predispositions (Helus-Pavelkova, 1992). Cognition can be therefore defined as a complex of psychological processes of information elaborationthis way we can (in the relation to metacognition) characterize metacognition as an "object" which is administrated by metacognitive processes on its specific level. A point of view where metacognition and cognition can be differentiated is described by J. Garofalo and F. Lester (1985): "it's necessary to perceive cognition as a process that is connected to the performance process, unlike metacognition which administrates the selection and planning of such things, which are needed to be done and then, it monitors what is progress right now" (1985: 164). However, it is very hard to exactly differ these two terms from each other. Some authors referred to this construct as to a e.g.: reflexive abstraction (Piaget-Wedgwood-Blanchet, 1976), or to a reflexive intelligence (Skemp, 1979). The concept of metacognition was first used by developmental psychologists and it is today well discussed and applied in the field of clinical psychology, experimental psychology, cognitive neurosciences and mainly by educational psychology. J. Flavell (1979), who is said to be the author of the original term "metacognition", divided metacognition into two elementary components: cognitive knowledge and cognitive regulation/monitoring. The knowledge of cognition contains quite ordered set of knowledge about our own-self (personal) characteristics (strong and weak features of cognition), knowledge of strategies and required tasks (assignment characteristics and the requirements of the assignment/task situation based on the analogy of previous experience). This cognition also contains the knowledge of "know how to do things", when to do them and when is the best time and conditions to apply individual strategy. G. Schrawa's, K. J. Crippen's and K. Hetley's (2006) division is the most commonly used nowadays. They divide this subcomponent of metacognition into declarative knowledge, procedural knowledge and conditional knowledge. Metacognition is a multidimensional construct, which is related to important concepts such as motivation (

IntechOpen eBooks, 2024

Metacognitive skills help students develop skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking, leadership, and responsibility. This chapter aims to examine the concepts of cognition, metacognition, metacognitive strategy, and metacognitive skill within a theoretical framework and to reveal the place of these concepts in education. In the research literature review method was used. In the light of the results obtained based on the research findings, it was determined that metacognitive strategies help students improve their cognitive skills during the learning process and are related to academic success. This research reveals the need to emphasize the importance and place of metacognitive skills in education, to teach students strategies, and to guide them when and where to use them. Additionally, students need to gain appropriate experiences and practice to develop their metacognitive skills. Metacognitive development begins at an early age and continues throughout the teaching process; therefore, it is very essential to carry out activities that support metacognition, especially at preschool and primary school levels. The general conclusion is that developing metacognitive skills increases students' cognitive competencies and makes them responsible for their learning, which in turn enables students to become more independent learners and increases their overall academic success.

ABSTRACT Teachers today are faced with classroom full of students who come to them with varying levels of knowledge about how they learn. Some students are active, self-directed learners who know how to regulate their learning. Others may be average students who work hard, are aware of their learning strengths and weaknesses but who may not adequately regulate their learning. Still others may be passive learners with little awareness of how they learn and how to regulate their learning. In other words, we can say that students possess different levels of metacognition. Metacognition is generally defined as the activity of monitoring and controlling one’s cognitive processes. It emerged as a specific focus of research in the early 1970s, with John Flavell pioneering great amount of work in the area. Although the construct of metacognition has wide appeal and applicability but this paper is confined to metacognition in an academic context. An attempt has been made to give a brief conspectus of the concept, its components and its importance in the field of education. Several strategies to develop metacognition in learners have also been discussed. Keywords: Metacognition, Students, Cognitive Processes, Education, Strategies

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Review of literature suggested that students with good metacognitive skills will be able to learn effectively. Thus, promoting metacognitive development in the classroom will help students become efficient learners. The objective of this study was to examine student's perception on seven aspects of metacognitive development activities in the classroom and its relationship to student's metacognitive skills. A total of 160 secondary school students involved in this study. Data collection was conducted using questionnaires to assess student's metacognitive skills and their perceptions on metacognitive development activities in the classroom. Results of the study showed that 'metacognitive reflection' activity contributed significantly to the variation in students' metacognitive skills, however, the study also found the lack of attention to this aspect by teachers in the classroom. Hence, the study suggested that effort should be geared to encourage teachers to consider the 'metacognitive reflection' activities in the classroom.

Recent research highlights the importance of both metacognitive knowledge and metacognitive skills in learning. This chapter reviews some of the recent literature on metacognition in learning and describes some methods of helping students acquire strategic metacognitive knowledge and executive management metacognitive skills to improve their learning. Topics focused on include reading metacognition, graphic organizers, self-assessment, self-questioning, and thinking aloud, all of which can be used across content domains.