On teaching cognitive strategies: The influence of accessibility of conceptual knowledge

Abstract

Cognitive performance can be improved through the explicit instruction of strategies that produce good performance. While such instruction will generally promote improved performance immediately following instruction, an important issue that still needs to be addressed is how to get students to maintain use of the strategies when they are left to their own devices. This article considers how variations in the ability to access knowledge relevant to the specific materials might affect strategy use, students' perceptions of these strategies, and, as a consequence, strategy maintenance.