The Influence of Context on Metacognition and Its Measurement

Metacognition enhances students’ efforts to effectively self-regulate their learning. It is a multifaceted construct that includes metacognitive knowledge, metacognitive regulation, and metacognitive experiences. Metacognition theory clearly indicates that metacognitive regulation should be impacted by the context in which the learning takes place, but little empirical research has attempted to show this effect of context on metacognitive regulation. The purpose dissertation of this was to investigate how context influences undergraduate students’ use of metacognitive regulation. To this end, an instrument (the Metacognition Inventory for Post-Secondary Students; MIPSS) that assesses metacognitive knowledge globally and metacognitive regulation as a context-dependent construct was created and evaluated through item analysis and factor analysis. Then, within-person differences in metacognitive regulation were examined, measures of metacognition and self-regulated learning (SRL) were associated with each other and used to predict academic achievement. Results indicated the MIPSS has a bi-factor structure, metacognitive regulation is influenced by the course and activity associated with the regulation, and associations among metacognition and SRL scales and achievement tend to follow theoretical predictions. Limitations and future directions for research are discussed. Advisor: Anthony D. Albano