The Critical Role of Metacognition and Self-Regulation in Students’ Success

Mónica Andrea González Castañeda

Estudiante de la Maestría en Educación

Hearing students say phrases like “I don’t understand,” “I feel lost,” or “This is too difficult”, or even worse, witnessing students fail a subject, course, semester or an entire school year, is an alarming experience for educators. These assertions not only reflect a struggle with the learning process but also elicit a sense of responsibility among teachers, which force us to reconsider our role as facilitators. Such circumstances highlight the urgent need for educators to promote learning environments that support metacognition and self-regulation to enable students to take over their own academic paths and adapt to new challenges with greater confidence, success and resilience.

The term metacognition first appeared in the 1970’s with the developmental phycologist John H. Flavell. It is defined “as the awareness of and knowledge about one’s own thinking” (Zimmerman, 2002, p. 3). This definition suggests that individuals not only engage in cognitive processes but also reflect on and regulate those processes. According to Flavell (1979, as cited in Jacobs, 2019), metacognition “consists of two components: metacognitive knowledge and metacognitive regulation” (p. 21). The first one alludes to what individuals understand about their own cognitive processes and involves three types of metacognitive awareness: “declarative refers to knowing what, procedural refers to knowing how, and conditional refers to knowing why and when” (Schraw, 1988, p. 114). The second one relates to a set of activities or actions that help learners control their thinking or learning (Mahdavi, 2014). It includes three main elements: planning, which is the selection of suitable strategies and resources; monitoring, which is being aware of your understanding and performance on a task in real-time; and evaluating, which is assessing the outcomes and effectiveness of one’s learning (Schraw, 1998). If students are encouraged to engage in metacognitive practices, they can transform their learning experiences to guarantee success, be better prepared to address challenges, and become self-regulated learners.

According to Zimmerman (2002), “students’ deficiencies in learning were attributed to a lack of metacognitive awareness of personal limitations and an inability to compensate” (p. 3). Zimmerman’s words suggests that students struggle with learning not because they lack intelligence, but because they are not aware of their own strengths, weaknesses, and preferences. This inability to self-regulate prevents learners from identifying effective strategies for improvement. In Pintrich’s words (2000), Self-Regulated Learning is “an active, constructive process whereby learners set goals for their learning and then attempt to monitor, regulate, and control their cognition, motivation, and

behavior, guided and constrained by their goals and the contextual features in the environment” (p. 453). This insight aligns Zimmerman’s (1989), who considered that “students can be described as self-regulated to the degree that they are metacognitively, motivationally, and behaviorally active participants in their own learning process” (p. 323). This active engagement of learners in their own educational processes leads to long-lasting knowledge and lifelong learning. These scholars’ views also emphasize implicitly the idea of making students aware that their success does not rely on the teacher’s assistance, but in their ability to recognize their own individual needs to be able to manage their own learning strategies.

To identify how one learns best, a self-discovery process is needed to unveil learning profiles and suitable learning environments. During this phase, students may discover their learning styles, their strengths, and their weaknesses, allowing them to create strategies that align with their personal preferences. For instance, when students recognize that they recall information better through visual aids (diagrams, mind maps, infographics) rather than long texts, they can adapt their study habits according to this discovery choosing more effective strategies to enhance their learning. The key is for students to discover the kind of learner they are. Regarding the learning environment, students need to customize a space to make it suitable for successful learning experiences. In this exploration, they may need to consider whether they concentrate better with background music or in silence; whether they prefer quieter spaces or more crowded ones; or whether they find outdoor settings to be more inspiring than indoor ones. When students reflect upon and understand their unique learning preferences (learning styles, personal strategies, and environmental factors), they become autonomous learners, guaranteeing success in their educational paths. This awareness in their learning not only benefits them in their academic performance, but also in their professional development since they are capable to adapt to changes and to adopt skills to thrive in several work environments or scenarios.

In modeling metacognitive strategies, teachers play a crucial role. Educators are not anymore transmitters of knowledge but facilitators in the learning process. This shift means that instead of providing answers, teachers should guide students to discover the answers on their own, recognizing that every learner has unique preferences and approaches to learning. For instance, in a language class, rather than giving the meaning of an unknown word, the teacher may use context clues for them to figure out what the meaning of that word is, encouraging reflection on how they were able to determine the meaning, avoiding dependence on teacher’s assistance for vocabulary acquisition. As Mahdavi (2014) stated “Just like giving a sick person a useless placebo injection, simply providing

learners with answers may enable them to resolve the immediate learning problem” (p. 533), but not their long-term understanding or their ability to address challenges independently. Another relevant aspect teachers should consider is to vary the teaching methods and resources used in their lessons, since this will allow students to spot their learning preferences. Moreover, providing constructive and assertive feedback can help students decide on their learning strategies and refine them to better suit their unique ways of learning. Last but not least, educators should promote open discussions for learners to express their insights on the learning process, and reflect on their capabilities and limitations, to provide different strategies and overcome difficulties.

Throughout this process, teachers may face a number of challenges, ranging from reluctance from students to the lack of necessary training or skills to enhance metacognition in the classroom. A vital responsibility of educators is to ensure that students understand that “getting good results from a study depends on learners’ going beyond what teachers and programs provide and developing the kind of metacognitive behavior which will enable them to regulate their own learning” (Anderson 2008, as cited in Mahdavi, 2014, p. 533). This means that students must be aware of their own responsibility in the educational process. They cannot expect teachers to give them everything or blame them for poor grades or unfavorable outcomes. Academic success depends on their active engagement and commitment to developing metacognitive strategies to regulate their learning. In an ideal scenario where students set realistic goals, manage their time effectively, select and monitor strategies, and evaluate their effectiveness, the teachers’ guidance is decisive to help students refine their metacognitive skills. This challenge emphasizes the importance of equipping teachers with strategies to foster metacognitive practices in their learners. Moreover, commitment to renovating pedagogical practices to meet students’ needs will enable educators to have a positive impact on their students’ academic success.

Cultivating a culture of metacognition and self-regulation in educational settings is essential for making students become independent learners and enrich their learning experiences to overcome difficulties and enhance their strengths. To effectively engage in these metacognitive practices, it is imperative that both educators, as facilitators or guides, and learners, as active agents, are aware of the commitment, responsibilities, and challenges that they may face during this process. This will not only positively impact students’ academic performance but also prepare them to thrive in other contexts or scenarios where reflection, self-regulation, self-discovery, and adaptability are required.

References

Flavell, J. H. (1979). Metacognition and cognitive monitoring: A new area of cognitive–developmental inquiry. American Psychologist, 34(10), 906–911. https://jwilson.coe.uga.edu/EMAT7050/Students/Wilson/Flavell%20(1979).pdf

Jacobs, L. E. (2019). Teachers’ well-being, metacognitive awareness and satisfaction with life in a school for learners with mild intellectual disability [Doctoral dissertation, North-West University]. https://dspace.nwu.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10394/35067/22585990%20Jacobs%20LE.pdf?isAllowed=y&sequence=1

Mahdavi, M. (2014). An Overview: Metacognition in Education. International Journal of Multidisciplinary and Current Research, 2, 529-535. https://www.academia.edu/83090133/An_Overview_Metacognition_in_Education

Pintrich, P. R. (2000). The role of goal orientation in self-regulated learning. In M. Boekaerts, P. R. Pintrich, & M. Zeidner (Eds.), Handbook of self-regulation (pp. 451–502). Academic Press. https://ssrlsig.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/pintrich-2005-the-role-of-goal-orientation-in-srl.pdf

Schraw, G. (1998). Promoting general metacognitive awareness. Instructional Science, 26, 113-125. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/227166212_Promoting_General_Metacognitive_Awareness

Zimmerman, B. J. (1989). A social cognitive view of self-regulated academic learning. Journal of Educational Psychology, 81(3), 329 339. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Barry-Zimmerman-2/publication/232534584_A_Social_Cognitive_View_of_Self-Regulated_Academic_Learning/links/549483c40cf20f487d2c12a4/A-Social-Cognitive-View-of-Self-Regulated-Academic-Learning.pdf

Zimmerman, B. J. (2002). Becoming a self-regulated learner: an overview. Theory into Practice, 41(2), 64–70. https://www.leiderschapsdomeinen.nl/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Zimmerman-B.-2002-Becoming-Self-Regulated-Learner.pdf