Principal Investigator: Jonathan Graves, Assistant Professor of Teaching, Vancouver School of Economics
Project description
This project studies the role of metacognitive skill in student decision-making regarding study and learning activity. Research has demonstrated that metacognitive skill is an important predictor of student achievement and learning success. However, the existing literature struggles to draw a distinction between strategic action and metacognitive skill, and the impact this has on ex post outcomes. In particular, metacognitive biases have the potential to invert intervention effectiveness in many situations. Using classroom data, in concert with experimental evidence, this project assesses the role of metacognition in student study activities, and quantifies this “metacognitive reversal” in pedagogical effectiveness.
Research questions
- To what extent does metacognitive skill influence student selection of learning activities?
- What impact does this selection have on student outcomes and learning?
- What is the “cost” of metacognitive gaps in terms of student learning and academic outcomes?