Metacognition and children's concepts of cognition

The aim of this study was twofold: to investigate fifth-graders' concepts of cognition; and to discover whether the interpolation of metacognitive activities into the regular curriculum affects fifth-graders' concepts of cognition.; Results suggest that fifth-graders tend to hold a force and focus theory of learning--a theory that emphasizes the importance of concentration, attention, and general mental effort in the achievement of desired cognitive goals. The twin concepts of concentration and attention playa central role in this theory, but despite their centrality, fifth-graders' conceptions of concentration and attention tend to be broad and sparse. They are broad in the sense that concentration and attention are regarded as panacea to a wide range of cognitive difficulties. They are sparse in the sense that students tend not to associate any specific support strategies or management strategies with concentration and attention; instead, they conceive of these activities as the sheer exercise of force.; Like many of people's everyday, or "naive," theories, fifth-graders' theories of thinking and learning are deeply entrenched and resistant to change. However, the interpolation of metacognitive activities into the curriculum appears to affect a few modest changes. Most notably, it seems to cause students to identify more precisely the nature of their cognitive difficulties.; Overall, the results of the study suggest that fifth-graders' concepts of cognition would be substantially more generative of productive patterns of learning were they to include a "mental management" dimension of thinking, i.e. a belief that thinking can be managed, guided and monitored, rather than merely regulated by the sheer exertion of force. There is no indication that fifth-graders have developmental or conceptual blocks to the acquisition of such a conception of thinking. Rather, what they lack are regular and frequent opportunities to engage in the kinds of metacognitive activities that might foster it.