The Influence of Metacognitive Awareness Skills and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) on Students' Achievement

Abstract

The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of metacognitive awareness skills and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) on the general foundation students at their final level at GFP. Forty-nine low achievers participated in the study: 29 males and 20 females. The participants were asked to take the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (MAI) survey (Schraw, G. & Dennison, R.S, 1994) and ADHD signs or symptoms checklist (National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities). MAI survey is divided into two sections: Knowledge about cognition which is about one's own cognitive processes and the understanding of how to regulate those processes to maximize learning, and regulation of cognition which is the regulation of cognition and learning experiences through a set of activities that help control one's own learning. AHDH survey is divided into two sections: Inattention and Hyperactivity /Impulsivity. The study tools used were translated into Arabic and piloted to check the content understanding in Arabic. The results of the study showed that the low achievers used on average 70% Knowledge about cognition skills and regulation of cognition skills. It also yielded that most low-achievers were having inattention signs, but few were hyperactive, as per The American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fifth edition (DSM-5). The study recommends involving the low-achievers in training activities to raise their metacognition and to decrease their learning attention spans.