Relations between metacognition and instruction: Development of metacognitive awareness via instruction of reflective research skills in an academic context for middle school students

This research explored the relation between metacognitive awareness and instruction via implementation of a cognitive model that focused on instruction and assessment of metacognition within the context of research and communication skills. The study was conducted at an inner-city middle school in Rochester, New York with eighth-grade students. The experiment was designed to test the effectiveness of instruction and tutoring (focused mentoring) in metacognitive strategies (evaluate, revise, plan) within the context of three research projects conducted in social studies during one school year. An experimental comparison was made between three groups of students: (1) the maximum treatment group (N = 16) practiced their research skills and received general instruction in the Reflective Research Model in addition to the focused mentoring, (2) the minimum treatment group (N = 14) practiced their research skills and received general instruction in the Reflective Research Model (no focused mentoring) and (3) the control group (N = 12) practiced their research skills only (no general instruction or focused mentoring). General and domain-specific metacognitive awareness were measured by diverse assessments that included interviews, written questionnaires, think-aloud protocols and performance on research projects. The general hypotheses were that the maximum treatment group would demonstrate greater general and domain-specific metacognitive awareness relative to the minimum treatment and control groups. Significant differences were also expected across academic levels. The results revealed that the focused mentoring had a significant effect on the domain-specific metacognitive awareness of the maximum treatment group as revealed in their improved knowledge and application of metacognitive strategies to their research projects. However, neither the general instruction nor focused mentoring had a significant impact on general metacognitive awareness. Regarding academic level, students of average achievement were found to have high metacognitive ability. Students with poor reading skills had the most difficulty learning and applying the metacognitive strategies. The results also demonstrated that the intervention had a positive influence on the maximum treatment group's motivation and confidence in their research skills compared to the minimum treatment and control groups. This research makes additional contributions by illustrating how social and cultural contexts shape students' thinking.