Role of metacognitive processes in developing learning strategies

Abstract

Within the context of effects that findings in the domain of cognitive psychology produce on the improvement of learning process in teaching, the results for examinations on student learning strategies and some of their implications were analyzed. Diverse methods for the operationalization of strategies, both cognitive and metacognitive, applied by students are featured. It is demonstrated that engagement of metacognitive processes is of crucial importance, firstly for developing efficient learning strategies and then for achieving better quality outcomes of educational process. Metacognition is treated in some studies as a process parallel to cognition and accordingly, distinction is made between cognitive and metacognitive learning strategies. But metacognitive processes are also often treated as intrinsic factors acting in the process of developing and using cognitive strategies in learning and they determine features and quality of those strategies and their effects. Some prospects for further intervening trends in the process of teaching are presented using the findings. It is emphasized that influence exerted by social environment i.e. school setting where the process of learning is going on can not be disregarded.