Contribution of metacognitive questions to accuracy of judgment of learning in a digital environment

Abstract

Primary school pupils have difficulty making accurate judgments of learning (JOL) in a digital environment. In two studies, we examined the contribution of metacognitive self-questioning to JOL accuracy in the course of reading literacy (Study 1) and mathematical literacy (Study 2) digital learning programs. Both studies comprised a six-session intervention. In each session fifth-grade students studied a short text (Study 1, N = 65) or story containing mathematical components (Study 2, N = 72), then judged their comprehension by predicting their performance before completing a test. For the experimental groups, metacognitive questioning was incorporated into the study materials. In both studies the experimental groups improved over the six sessions in both performance and calibration (i.e., reducing the gap between judgment and performance). The findings highlight the contribution of metacognitive support to improved performance and judgment accuracy and strengthen the case for incorporating metacognitive practices when teaching literacy in a digital environment.

Keywords

• Metacognition
• Accurate judgments of learning
• Meta strategy knowledge
• Reading literacy
• Mathematical literacy