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Ratnayake A, Bansal A, Wong N, Saseetharan T, Prompiengchai S, Jenne A, Thiagavel J, Ashok A. All "wrapped" up in reflection: supporting metacognitive awareness to promote students' self-regulated learning. JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY & BIOLOGY EDUCATION 2024; 25:e0010323. [PMID: 38661420 PMCID: PMC11044636 DOI: 10.1128/jmbe.00103-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Self-regulated learning (SRL) is the process of utilizing effective strategies to acquire knowledge or skills and is influenced by motivation, metacognitive processing, and study-related behaviors. We hypothesized that by using survey tools that allow reflection on and refinement of students' study strategies, we could nurture metacognitive skill development, encourage positive motivation and study-related behaviors, and hence promote academic success. Undergraduate students in a semester-long, second-year biology course were provided with resources to promote SRL and three survey instruments that encouraged them to create study plans and reflect on the effectiveness of their study strategies. Using a student-partnered approach, we sought to investigate the role of metacognition, motivation, and study-related behaviors on academic performance by (i) identifying the self-regulated learning strategies most utilized by students, (ii) investigating the role of reflection in enhancing metacognitive processing and academic performance, and (iii) understanding whether students created and/or modified their study strategies as an outcome of self-regulation. Survey responses allowed us to understand the repertoire of study strategies used by students. Our analyses suggest that students demonstrated metacognitive skill development through the use of the resources and reflection instruments, as they accurately reported on the effectiveness of their study strategies and indicated future plans to shift study-related behaviors from passive to active reviewing techniques. Students across the grade spectrum perceived the reflection instruments as beneficial in identifying areas of improvement and developing long-term study habits, suggesting that these instruments were effective in promoting metacognitive skill development for a variety of student learners. We conclude that supporting students with resources that promote SRL and providing opportunities for timely reflection can promote metacognitive skill development, a key feature of academic success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayuni Ratnayake
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Aditi Bansal
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Natalie Wong
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Theluckshan Saseetharan
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Sapolnach Prompiengchai
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Amy Jenne
- Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jeneni Thiagavel
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Aarthi Ashok
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Noushad B, Van Gerven PWM, de Bruin ABH. Exploring the use of metacognitive monitoring cues following a diagram completion intervention. ADVANCES IN HEALTH SCIENCES EDUCATION : THEORY AND PRACTICE 2024:10.1007/s10459-023-10309-9. [PMID: 38285312 DOI: 10.1007/s10459-023-10309-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/17/2023] [Indexed: 01/30/2024]
Abstract
Studying texts constitutes a significant part of student learning in health professions education. Key to learning from text is the ability to effectively monitor one's own cognitive performance and take appropriate regulatory steps for improvement. Inferential cues generated during a learning experience typically guide this monitoring process. It has been shown that interventions to assist learners in using comprehension cues improve their monitoring accuracy. One such intervention is having learners to complete a diagram. Little is known, however, about how learners use cues to shape their monitoring judgments. In addition, previous research has not examined the difference in cue use between categories of learners, such as good and poor monitors. This study explored the types and patterns of cues used by participants after being subjected to a diagram completion task prior to their prediction of performance (PoP). Participants' thought processes were studied by means of a think-aloud method during diagram completion and the subsequent PoP. Results suggest that relying on comprehension-specific cues may lead to a better PoP. Poor monitors relied on multiple cue types and failed to use available cues appropriately. They gave more incorrect responses and made commission errors in the diagram, which likely led to their overconfidence. Good monitors, on the other hand, utilized cues that are predictive of learning from the diagram completion task and seemed to have relied on comprehension cues for their PoP. However, they tended to be cautious in their judgement, which probably made them underestimate themselves. These observations contribute to the current understanding of the use and effectiveness of diagram completion as a cue-prompt intervention and provide direction for future research in enhancing monitoring accuracy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Babu Noushad
- Department of Educational Development and Research, School of Health Professions Education (SHE), Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
- College of Health Sciences, University of Buraimi, P.O. Box 890, PC 512, Al Buraimi, Sultanate of Oman.
| | - Pascal W M Van Gerven
- Department of Educational Development and Research, School of Health Professions Education (SHE), Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Anique B H de Bruin
- Department of Educational Development and Research, School of Health Professions Education (SHE), Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands
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Pilotti MAE, El Alaoui K, Waked A. Grade prediction in the middle east: a post-pandemic case study of the optimism bias. Front Psychol 2024; 14:1270621. [PMID: 38322492 PMCID: PMC10844436 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1270621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Evidence exists that the pandemic has brought about stress, and altered study habits and academic performance. No evidence exists regarding whether metacognition has also been altered. The present field study examined the accuracy and confidence with which college students make grade predictions in a general education course after the pandemic. It tested whether one of three types of biases affected students' predictions as a way to cope with the uncertainty of a final exam's outcome: illusion-of-knowing, optimism, and pessimistic bracing. Students made predictions both before and after completing the final exam (summative assessment) to determine the impact of each of the hypothesized biases on estimates made in a context of varying uncertainty. Accuracy was computed as the difference between expected and actual grades on the final exam. Confidence in the predictions made was measured on a Likert scale. Exam performance was categorized as good, poor, or inadequate. In this study, less-than-desirable performance was accompanied by overestimations. However, overestimations were made with little confidence and benefited from the information acquired from completing the exam. This pattern of results suggests that students who are not doing well are not under the spell of the illusion-of-knowing phenomenon. Indeed, their optimistic predictions are punctured by the awareness of a likely undesirable outcome (as indicated by their weak confidence in the predictions made). Implications and applications of these findings are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maura A. E. Pilotti
- Department of Sciences and Human Studies, Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, Khobar, Saudi Arabia
- Cognitive Science Center, Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, Khobar, Saudi Arabia
| | - Khadija El Alaoui
- Department of Sciences and Human Studies, Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, Khobar, Saudi Arabia
- Cognitive Science Center, Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, Khobar, Saudi Arabia
| | - Arifi Waked
- Department of Sciences and Human Studies, Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, Khobar, Saudi Arabia
- Cognitive Science Center, Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, Khobar, Saudi Arabia
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Metacognitive awareness of the pretesting effect improves with self-regulation support. Mem Cognit 2023:10.3758/s13421-022-01392-1. [PMID: 36637644 PMCID: PMC9839203 DOI: 10.3758/s13421-022-01392-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
The pretesting or prequestion effect refers to the counterintuitive finding that taking tests on information that one has yet to learn, during which many erroneous responses typically occur, can benefit learning relative to nontesting methods (e.g., reading) if the correct answers are studied afterwards. Using a knowledge updating approach that entailed two or three cycles of pretesting versus reading followed by a criterial test, we investigated (a) the extent to which learners develop metacognitive awareness of the pretesting effect through experience (as evidenced by predictions of criterial test performance) and (b) three forms of external support-namely, performance feedback (displaying criterial test performance for pretested versus read items), prediction reminders (displaying learners' predictions alongside performance feedback), and recall prompts (asking learners to remember criterial test performance during the first cycle prior to making predictions for the second cycle)-that might improve, or provide insights into, such awareness. Across five experiments, we found that learners generally lack awareness of the memorial benefits of pretesting, are predisposed to believing that reading is more effective even after repeatedly experiencing both techniques, and need support before they recognize that pretesting is more beneficial. Overall, these results underscore the challenge of, and highlight several means of dislodging, learners' inaccurate beliefs about the efficacy of pretesting.
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Geraci L, Kurpad N, Tirso R, Gray KN, Wang Y. Metacognitive errors in the classroom: The role of variability of past performance on exam prediction accuracy. METACOGNITION AND LEARNING 2022; 18:219-236. [PMID: 36405646 PMCID: PMC9643913 DOI: 10.1007/s11409-022-09326-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Students often make incorrect predictions about their exam performance, with the lowest-performing students showing the greatest inaccuracies in their predictions. The reasons why low-performing students make inaccurate predictions are not fully understood. In two studies, we tested the hypothesis that low-performing students erroneously predict their exam performance in part because their past performance varies considerably, yielding unreliable data from which to make their predictions. In contrast, high-performing students tend to have consistently high past performance that they can rely on to make relatively accurate predictions of future test performance. Results showed that across different exams (Study 1) and different courses (Study 2), low-performing students had more variable past performance than high-performing students. Further, results from Study 2 showed that variability in past course performance (but not past exam performance) was associated with poor calibration. Results suggest that variability in past performance may be one factor that contributes to low-performing students' erroneous performance predictions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Geraci
- Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA 01854 USA
| | - Nayantara Kurpad
- Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA 01854 USA
| | - Robert Tirso
- Department of Student Life Studies, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX USA
| | - Kathryn N. Gray
- Department of Psychology, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA USA
| | - Yan Wang
- Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA 01854 USA
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Li Q, Sun X, Cui L, Zhong Y, Wang B, Miao Y, Hu X, Guo Q. Alterations in metamemory capacity and neural correlates in a subtype of subjective cognitive decline. NEUROIMAGE: CLINICAL 2022; 36:103255. [PMID: 36451360 PMCID: PMC9668650 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2022.103255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Revised: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUNDS Subjective cognitive decline (SCD), one of the important clinical indicators for preclinical Alzheimer's disease (AD), is primarily defined as self-perceived cognitive decline without objective evidence for cognitive impairment. However, the accuracy of their self-evaluation of cognition is unclear. This study sought to investigate the capacity for self-evaluation of own cognitive performance in SCD by applying an objective metamemory paradigm. METHODS 147 individuals with SCD were classified into four subgroups by their subjective feeling of worse performance than peers or not (P+/-) and whether they have objectively slight cognitive impairment compared to normative data (S+/-). Metamemory scores, the amplitude of the low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF), fractional low-frequency fluctuation amplitude (fALFF), and cortical thickness were compared among four subgroups. Partial correlations between neuropsychological scores and neuroimaging measures were examined, controlling for age, sex, and education years. RESULTS SCD S+P- showed the worst performance in short-term delayed recall and the worst metamemory performance, indicated by the highest value in the degree of confidence of short-term delayed recall (DOC-N4) and long-term cued recall (DOC-N6) and the worst value in relative accuracy of judgments of short-term delayed recall (ROJ-N4). ALFF values in the bilateral superior medial frontal and olfactory cortices and the left superior orbitofrontal gyrus cortex were significantly higher in SCD P- compared with SCD P+ groups (all P < 0.05, FWE-corrected, cluster-wise level). A significant S × P interaction effect in the left hippocampus and middle cingulate cortex was found for the fALFF signals (all P < 0.05, FWE-corrected, cluster-wise level). Significant interaction and main effects on cortical thickness were reported. The parahippocampal and posterior cingulate cortices were significantly decreased in SCD S+P- (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSION SCD S+P- showed the worst episodic memory performance, altered metamemory capacity (overconfidence and less accuracy of judgment), and altered neuroimaging measures, though they had feelings of similar performance with peers. Our results indicate that metamemory capacity is affected in a subtype of SCD with reduced cortical thickness and intensity of regional spontaneous activity in key areas for metamemory processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qinjie Li
- Department of Gerontology, Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200233, China
| | - Xiaokang Sun
- Department of Gerontology, Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200233, China
| | - Liang Cui
- Department of Gerontology, Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200233, China
| | - Yuan Zhong
- Department of Gerontology, Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200233, China
| | - Beiyun Wang
- Department of Gerontology, Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200233, China
| | - Ya Miao
- Department of Gerontology, Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200233, China
| | - Xiaochen Hu
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany,Corresponding authors.
| | - Qihao Guo
- Department of Gerontology, Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200233, China,Corresponding authors.
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Serra MJ, McNeely DA. The most fluent instructors might choreograph for Beyoncé or secretly be Batman: Commentary on Carpenter, Witherby, and Tauber. JOURNAL OF APPLIED RESEARCH IN MEMORY AND COGNITION 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jarmac.2020.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Rivers ML, Dunlosky J, Joynes R. The contribution of classroom exams to formative evaluation of concept-level knowledge. CONTEMPORARY EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cedpsych.2019.101806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Händel M, Bukowski AK. The gap between desired and expected performance as predictor for judgment confidence. JOURNAL OF APPLIED RESEARCH IN MEMORY AND COGNITION 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jarmac.2019.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Tirso R, Geraci L, Saenz GD. Examining underconfidence among high-performing students: A test of the false consensus hypothesis. JOURNAL OF APPLIED RESEARCH IN MEMORY AND COGNITION 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jarmac.2019.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Saenz GD, Geraci L, Tirso R. Improving metacognition: A comparison of interventions. APPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/acp.3556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel D. Saenz
- Department of Psychological and Brain SciencesTexas A&M University College Station Texas
| | - Lisa Geraci
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of Massachusetts Lowell Lowell Massachusetts
| | - Robert Tirso
- Department of Psychological and Brain SciencesTexas A&M University College Station Texas
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Saenz GD, Smith SM. Testing judgments of learning in new contexts to reduce confidence. JOURNAL OF APPLIED RESEARCH IN MEMORY AND COGNITION 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jarmac.2018.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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