A Cross-sequential Study About The Effects Of Metacognitive Monitoring And Arithmetic Knowledge On Strategy Using

Strategy use is the important link in the cognition processing. And strategy use in themathematics domain has specificity performance. At present, the researchers take more andmore focus on the study about strategy use. These research results can provide differentevidences about the strategy process to explore individuals’distinctive performance inmathematics in the aspects of strategy. Furthermore, this can perfect the operation mechanismsystem of mathematics strategy process. So, theoretical instruction for improvement ofmathematics education and consummation can be provided. Also understanding on the humanuniversal cognition processing can be promoted. The research combines cross sectional studywith longitudinal study, generally cognitive capacity with specialty ability, computationalestimation task with mental arithmetic task, strategy execution and strategy selection. Therealso includes unique strategy type. And the choice/no-choice method was used to explore theinfluence of metacognitive monitoring and arithmetic knowledge on arithmetic strategy use,which includes computation estimation and mental arithmetic. The purpose is to constructsthe perfect model about strategy use. The participants we want to study is 3, 5 grade studentsin elementary school and junior college students. The research contains two studies altogether:Study 1 is a cross sectional study; Study 2 is a longitudinal study. The research objects inStudy 1 include third, fifth grade students in elementary school and junior college students,and the cross sectional data acquisition should be finished. Study two is carried in a half-yearlater, the research object is consistent with the study 1, and the difference is that it does notinclude adults and only children. And the longitudinal data acquisition should be finished. InStudy 2, the third and fifth grade students have been to raise one level and become forth andsixth grade separately. The research task material contains two types that are computationalestimation task and mental arithmetic task. Computation estimation request the students tocarry on a fuzzy fast estimate and get the result, while mental arithmetic require them to get aprecise result. The inspection task is two two-addend addition problems (for example, 68+23). The difficulty level of the computation estimation is consistent with mental arithmetic task,but the concrete problem is different. The measuring of metacognitive monitoring carries onthe duty solution scene. The arithmetic knowledge was measured by a self-designed scale.The test run uses the E-prime software to carry on the programming and the implementation.The research discovered: (1) the level of metacognitive monitoring sustained growingalong with the age, and boys and girls showed similar development trends. There is differenceon arithmetic knowledge growth between boys and girls. Boys surpass the girl in third grade,but the girls surpass the boy in fifth grade and the adult; (2) the ability of strategy choice andexecution development along with the age in computation estimation. There is unusualperformance on the age and gender in mental arithmetic. Boys are more superior than girls inthird grade, but girls are more superior than boys in the fifth grade, while men and women donot have the difference in adult; (3) in computation estimation, arithmetic knowledge affectscomplex strategy use in all ages, and also strategy choice in adult. Metacognitive monitoringcan enable an individual to solve the problem more accuracy in childhood. And when aproblem is not too difficult for an individual, it can enhance him to solve the problem faster.Metacognitive monitoring displays a consistently important role on selecting the best strategyto solve the problem in the best choice condition in third, fifth grades. That is, matecognitivemonitoring could cause an individual select a more accurate strategy to solve the problem; (4)in mental arithmetic task, arithmetic knowledge can cause individual’s problem solvingquicker in all ages, and also leads the accuracy higher. There is separation effect when comesto the strategy choice in different age and gender. Boys of the third graders use morefull-decomposition strategies, and also more accurately under metacognitive monitoring. Girlsof fifth grade have superiorly performance is caused by accurately using arithmeticknowledge which they stored in the memory; (5) in the longitudinal development ofcomputation estimation , in the third-grade children, arithmetic knowledge in the pretest cansignificantly predict strategy execution latencies and accuracy in six month later, as well asthe rate of select the best strategy to solve the problem in best choice condition.Metacognitive monitoring effects were found mainly in the complex strategy (rounding-upstrategy) choice in the freely choice condition and best choice condition in fifth grade; (6) theanalysis of mental arithmetic in longitudinal, metacognitive monitoring and arithmetic knowledge both can promote strategy execution in third grade. They can promote the solvingof mental arithmetic quicker. In strategy choice, metacognitive monitoring may promote thedevelopment of full-decomposition strategy used in boys. It also can lead to the higheraccuracy. In fifth grade, the arithmetic knowledge has the major impact on strategy executiondevelopment.