Metacognitive Application in Business Education Settings : Fostering Mindfulness and Empathy

Abstract

The study proposes a set of processes for individuals to implement in monitoring their own ongoing cognition (i.e., metacognition) as a means to resolve ethical problems by fostering empathy. Implementing a series of metacognitive activities and applying a questioning intervention within experimental groups among college business students - no questioning intervention within control groups - the study's results show that the student participants (a total of 410) demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in both metacognitive and empathy constructs. Specifically, the experimental groups showed statistically significant improvement in metacognition subscale than the control group. The novelty of the study is that the metacognitive approaches are reinterpreted as a means to better prepare business students to become subjectively aware of the consequences that their actions would cause, and to improve the level of empathy for others. Implications for business school educators are discussed. the level of empathy for others. Implications for business school educators are discussed. the level of empathy for others. Implications for business school educators are discussed.