TEEN Social Influences on Metacognitive Development in Reading

Abstract

It has been well established that there are substantial individual and developmental differences in the metacognitive skills of reading (Baker, 1989a; Baker & Brown, 1984; Garner, 1987). In fact, many researchers have suggested that limited meta cognitive skills may be a cause of reading difficulty, given the consistent correlational evidence that more successful readers exhibit higher levels of metacognitive knowledge about reading and are more skilled at regulating their comprehension processes than are less successful readers (Baker, 1982; Wong, 1985). An understanding of the factors that contribute to metacognitive growth is obviously critical to the development of effective intervention programs. However, the popular appeal of metacognition has led to a widespread and somewhat uncritical acceptance of the construct among educators, and intervention programs have proliferated, often without solid empirical evidence of efficacy (Baker, 1994). This situation is scientifically and pedagogically problematic, and highlights the need for further research on how metacognition develops and how it may best be fostered. Although descriptions of developmental changes in metacognitive skills are widely available, less is known about factors influencing those changes.