Exploring the Complexity of Metacognitive Knowledge About Learning Strategies Among College Students

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 9:45 am - Gold 4
  In Roundtable Session: Cognition, Confidence, and Emotion: Unpacking Metacognitive and Motivational Dynamics

Abstract

The present study focused on (1) learners’ metacognitive knowledge about retrieval practice and how it relates to their more general metacognitive knowledge about learning strategies and (2) learners’ metacognitive knowledge for specific learning strategies beyond retrieval practice. Moreover, we measured two types of metacognitive knowledge: declarative knowledge and procedural/conditional knowledge. Participants (N = 101) completed a series of metacognitive knowledge measures, including surveys, individual effectiveness ratings, and comparison vignette ratings. Our results indicate that measures of learners’ general metacognitive knowledge and metacognitive knowledge about retrieval practice were positively correlated with one another, albeit to different magnitudes. Secondly, we found that learners have generally high declarative knowledge for some effective learning strategies (e.g., spacing) but not others (e.g., interleaving).

Authors

• Rachel N. Smith-Peirce, Washington University in St. Louis

• Madeleine M. M Sapra, Washington University in St. Louis

• Andrew C. Butler, Washington University in St. Louis