An Analysis of the Effects of Integrated Instruction of Metacognitive and Study Skills upon the Self-Efficacy and Achievement of Male and Female Students.

The impact of using integrated metacognitive instruction on high school students' achievement, self-efficacy, and test anxiety was studied. Forty students in 2 advanced geography classes in a large suburban high school participated. The level of metacognitive strategies students used at the beginning of the semester was assessed and compared to that of the end of the semester, and these levels were compared to those of a control group. The Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) was used to measure metacognitive strategy use, self-efficacy for learning, and test anxiety. It was hypothesized that the treatment group would have higher scores on an achievement test, that they would report higher self-efficacy scores, and that they would also report lower test anxiety scores. Treatment effects were in the direction that was hypothesized, but there were no significant differences between the two groups, a result that may be attributed to the small sample size. Significant interactions were found between gender and achievement, metacognitive self-regulation, and test anxiety. Males had higher achievement scores, and females reported higher levels of metacognitive strategy use and higher levels of test anxiety. Attachments include lesson plans, the MSLQ, and forms used to conduct the study. (SLD)