Metacognitive strategies as predictor for better test results

Part of Present & Discuss Session ‘Stimulating metacognitive

skills among students’

Wilbert van der Heul

Practical foundation: reason for this study

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– At the Albeda College, a Regional Community College,

students of personal healthcare assistant (level 3) and

(medical) nurse (level 4) score low at their knowledge-tests

for anatomy;

– Assumption: students do not know how to learn anatomy

(declarative knowledge) and teachers use limited didactics;

Theoretical foundation: metacognition

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Self-regulation and self-efficacy

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‘When students use more metacognitive skills, they may score better on their

anatomy-tests’

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Two design requirements1. Focusing on the acquisition and application of

metacognitive strategies, particularly self-regulation;

2. Focusing on the enhancement of self-efficacy.

• Explicit attention for self-regulation;

• Selecting-Organising-Integrating-model (Mayer, 1999) –

active learning: multiple didactics, pictures, colours / italics;

• Constructive alignment (Biggs, 2003);

• Trial-exams (Marzano, 1999)

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Design wishes

In consultation with fellow teachers and management:

•Structure

•Straightforward

•Compatible with existing classes

•achievable

•(if possible: not to complicated)

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Instructional design (learning arrangement / intervention)

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Research goals and questionsGoals: to positively influence the metacognitive strategies of

the student and better test results.

1: What is the influence of the learning-arrangement on the

learning behaviour of the student concerning the anatomy-

class in terms of metacognitive strategies, self-regulation and

self-efficacy?

2: What influence does the learning-arrangement have on the

test-results?

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Research design

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Participants and MeasurementPersonal healthcare assistant:

N = 56; experiment: 33 (2 groups); reference 23: (I group);

Medical nurse: N = 85; experiment: 47 (2 groups), reference: 38 (2 groups)

Total N = 141

Measuring learning behaviour of the students: Motivated Strategies for Learning

Questionnaire, (Pintrich et al., 1991) learning strategies and motivation:

•81 items divided in 15 scales, 9 for learning strategies (including self-regulation)

and 6 for motivation (including self-efficacy);

•7-point-likert scale from 1 (not for me) to 7 (totally me);

•Alpha: between 0.61 and 0.94

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Data-analysis

Two-way repeated measures between groups ANOVA with co-variances

•Total scale learning strategies

•Self-regulation

•Self-efficacy

•Total scale motivation

Dependent variables: total scores of the scales

Independent variables: experiment- and reference groups of both programs

Co-variances: total hours lessons anatomy, total hours homework, total hours

studying for test

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Results Personal Healthcare Assistant (level 3)

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Metacognitive strategies: F(2) = 3.906, p = 0.026; average effect (p.e.s.= 0.122);

Between groups: F(2) = 3.614, p = 0.035; average effect (p.e.s.= 0.114)

Results personal healthcare assistant (level 3)

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Self-regulation:F(2) = 3.794, p = 0.028; average effect (p.e.s. = 0.119)

Between groups:F(2) = 3.280, p = 0.045; average effect (p.e.s. = 0.105).

Results (medical) Nurse (level 4)

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Metacognitive strategies:F(2) = 0.210, p = 0.811

Between groups:F(2) = 0.540, p = 0.584

Self-regulation:F(2) = 0.309, p = 0.735

Between groups:F(2) = 0.676, p = 0.511

Results (medical) Nurse (level 4)

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Motivation experiment after 20 weeks:F(2) = 3.999, p = 0.021; small effect (p.e.s. = 0.067)

When learning-arrangement will be continued a significant difference between groups is possible:F(1) = 5.949, p = 0.018, average effect (p.e.s. = 0.096)

Conclusion

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There is an influence of the learning-arrangement on the learning behaviour of student:•Level 3: metacognitive strategies, self-regulation, long-term motivation•Level 4: motivation, long-term even significant effect between groups

Recommendations

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Nevertheless

Why has the learning-arrangement no influence on the test-

results (yet)?

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