Low and High Performing First-Year Engineering Students' Learning and Metacognitive Strategies.

This Complete Research Paper presents quantitative findings from an analysis of first-year engineering students' responses to weekly reflections on their learning objective performance and plans and actions to improve their learning. Building capacity for metacognition is necessary for success in engineering studies and the profession. To prepare engineering students to be skilled professional engineers, it is important to understand how first-year students approach challenges in their learning. Studies show that many first-year students, even high performing students, struggle to develop metacognitive strategies that will enhance their learning. The goal of this study was to compare high and low performing students' perceptions of their learning relative to their demonstrated proficiency levels as well as their metacognitive strategies relative to their learning plans and actions. Results demonstrate that higher performing students have a moderately better grasp than low performing students of their abilities, though all students struggled to complete reflections with an adequate level of metacognition to improve their learning. This study shows that students of any ability level can benefit from learning how to properly employ metacognitive strategies to develop and enhance problem-solving skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]