Metacognitive Awareness and Its Relation to Students’ Academic Achievement: Time to Ponder Its Implication in Delivery of Curriculum

Abstract

Metacognition skills enable learners to understand and monitor their cognitive processes. The categories described under metacognition are knowledge/regulation of cognition. Metacognitive skills are necessary in curriculum delivery. Students with metacognitive skills are expected to perform better and evidence recommends metacognition be taught in curriculum. The metacognition awareness inventory (MAI) score was collected for knowledge of cognitive factor (KCF) and regulation of cognitive factor (RCF). Knowledge monitoring accuracy (KMA) was also calculated as the difference between students’ examination estimated score (SEES) versus actual knowledge on tests. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to analyse MAI, academic achievement and SEES at the end of semester assessment (EOSA) written/clinical (EOSAW/EOSAC) test. A negative correlation was found between MAI and EOSAW (–0.029) and MAI and EOSAC (–0.187), while a high correlation between MAI and KCF (0.808) and MAI and RCF (0.920) was found (p < 0.001). The correlation between KCF and RCF was moderately high (0.559, p < 0.001). A negative correlation was also found between KMA and EOSAW (–0.392). The correlation of EOSA achievement scores and KCF and RCF was also negative at –0.002 and –0.100, respectively. A mixed insignificant (p > 0.05) correlation was noted among MAI, KMA and SEES for individual instruments. A poor correlation between metacognitive skills and achievement scores indicates students’ unrealistic self-evaluation of cognition for knowledge and regulation.