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published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1991. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 244-257). / Microfiche. / xii, 257 leaves, bound ill. 29 cm

Metacognition, the knowledge and regulation of our cognitions, is an essential part of our learning. Metacognition has been linked to academic performance at all levels of education. Metacognitive skills, however, are likely to differ depending on that level. The current thesis aims to address four key questions. Firstly, how do metacognitive skills differ between undergraduate and postgraduate education? The metacognitive experiences and skills of 20 doctoral students were examined through semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis indicated that, whilst doctoral students score above average on metacognitive skills questionnaires, doctoral students’ metacognitive development is influenced by peer interaction and environment. Considering the findings presented at postgraduate level, the second question addressed was what role does social context play in metacognition at undergraduate level? The relationship was measured using both experimental and self-report measures in a first-year undergraduate population. The findings suggested that first year students are not capable of working effectively with others. The lack of capability stems, in part, from normative beliefs suggesting that the participants’ peers think in a similar way to them. These relationships could also be due to individual differences, for example personality. The third question addressed, therefore, was do individual differences play a part in these relationships? Self-report measures of metacognition and personality were administered to undergraduates in all years of study. Correlational and moderation analyses indicated that conscientiousness plays a role in the implementation of metacognition in the later years of study. First-year performance, in comparison, was strongly related to extraversion, suggesting that the previous relationships found between social context and metacognition could potentially be impacted by a person’s personality. Finally, can we implement the information achieved here into an intervention to improve the metacognitive skills of secondary school students? An intervention designed to promote metacognitive skills in group contexts was implemented in a secondary school classroom of 20. The intervention lasted for 6 weeks. By the end of the intervention, analysis of Think Aloud Protocols indicated a marked difference in student’s problem-solving ability and their communication skills. Overall, the findings support the idea that metacognitive skills differ between levels and years of study. Yet, the role of social context and individual differences in metacognition could be key to improving academic performance at all levels of education.

published_or_final_version / abstract / Education / Master / Master of Education

University of Macau / Faculty of Education

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Sin duda la lectura tiene un papel importante en el aula de segunda lengua. No solo es una manera efectiva de adquirir vocabulario y gramática sino también es un buen instrumento para presentar la cultura de la lengua meta. Por lo tanto, es necesario que los estudiantes puedan leer bien. No obstante, los problemas de comprensión surgen cuando a los estudiantes les falta competencia lingüística o conocimiento previo o, las diferencias en las aptitudes de leer, varían en cada estudiante. Entonces es importante que los maestros les den a los estudiantes los instrumentos que les permitan acceder a las estrategias de comprensión. La meta de este trabajo es probar que entre más conciencia metacognitiva tenga un estudiante de segunda lengua, mejor será su comprensión del texto. En general, los maestros de segunda lengua entienden la importancia del conocimiento de vocabulario y gramática en cuanto al éxito de lectura, pero quizás no se dan cuenta de que la conciencia metacognitiva tiene un papel igualmente importante. Por ello, este trabajo es tanto para los maestros que no están familiarizados con la instrucción de las estrategias de la comprensión de lectura como para los que dudan del valor en el currículo, ya lleno de lecciones y ejercicios comunicativos.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Anatomy A215: Basic Human Anatomy (Anat A215) is an undergraduate human anatomy course at Indiana University Bloomington (IUB) that serves as a requirement for many degree programs at IUB. The difficulty of the course, coupled with pressure to achieve grades for admittance into specific programs, has resulted in high remediation rates. In an attempt to help students to improve their study habits and metacognitive skills Medical Sciences M100: Improving Learning Skills in Anatomy (MSCI M100) was developed. MSCI M100 is an undergraduate course at IUB which is taught concurrently with Anat A215, with the hopes of promoting academic success in Anat A215. This multifaceted study was designed to analyze the factors associated with students who remediate Anat A215, to predict at-risk students in future semesters, and assess the effectiveness of MSCI M100. The first facet involved analysis of Anat A215 students’ demographic information and class performance data from the spring semester of 2004 through the spring semester of 2010. Results of data analysis can be used by IUB instructors and academic advisors to identify students at risk for remediating, as well as provide other undergraduate anatomy instructors across the U.S. with potential risk factors associated with remediation. The second facet of this research involved analyzing MSCI M100 course assignments to determine if there are improvements in student study habits and metacognitive skills. This investigation involved quantitative analysis of study logs and a learning attitudes survey, as well as a thorough inductive analysis of students’ weekly journal entries. Lastly, Anat A215 exam scores and final course grades for students who completed MSCI M100 and students who did not complete MSCI M100 were compared. Results from these analyses show promising improvements in students’ metacognition and study habits, but further research will better demonstrate the efficacy of MSCI M100.