Introduction: The Present and the Future in Metacognition

Abstract

The introduction to the edited book entitled Trends and Prospects in Metacognition Research is also a discussion of major issues that pervade current research in metacognition. These issues are at the background of the chapters of the book and set the stage for the identification of prospects for future research and theory in metacognition. Specifically, the introduction provides a brief description of the content of each chapter following the book’s organization in two parts: the first focusing on basic research in metacognition and the second on the developments and applications of metacognition in education. Then, the theoretical convergences and divergences between the chapters are discussed. The theoretical issues underlying the various chapters concern (a) the importance of uncertainty monitoring, (b) the nonconscious versus conscious processes in metacognition, (c) methodological issues in metacognition research, (d) individual differences in metacognition, and (e) metacognition and self-regulation. The need for theoretical integration is pointed out and the prospects for research that can encompass metacognitive phenomena and methodologies, which were not, or little, studied in the past, are envisaged.