The effect of metacognitive intervention on learner metacognition and achievement in mathematics

Field: Psychology (Social Sciences)

International and national measures point to the poor mathematics achievement of South African learners. The enhancement of the quality of mathematics education is a key priority of the Department of Basic Education in South Africa. Several studies have found a correlation between learner metacognition and mathematics achievement. Metacognition entails knowledge and regulation of one’s cognitive processes. Previous studies point to the positive effect of metacognitive interventions on learner metacognition and mathematics achievement. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a metacognitive intervention (MI) on learner metacognition and the mathematics achievement of Grade 11 learners in the Free State from a predominantly pragmatic perspective. The MI was developed by combining aspects of a mathematical perspective on De Corte’s educational learning theory with aspects of previous metacognitive intervention studies in mathematics. A mixed methods research design was employed where qualitative data were embedded within a quasi-experiment. Data were collected from an experimental group (N = 25) and a control group (N = 24). Quantitative data on learner metacognition were obtained from the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (MAI), while quantitative data on mathematics achievement were obtained from the learners’ Terms 1 and 4 report marks. Qualitative data were acquired by means of teacher interviews, problem-solving sessions, and learner and teacher perspectives on the MI process. The mixed methods research question investigated the extent to which the findings from the qualitative phase of the study support the findings from the quantitative phase regarding the effect of MI on learner metacognition and mathematics achievement. The quantitative findings indicated that MI had a statistically significant impact on learner metacognition in respect of the MAI total score, the Knowledge of cognition (KC) factor, the Regulation of cognition (RC) factor, and the subscales Declarative knowledge, Planning, and Monitoring. The impact of MI on mathematics achievement was less pronounced, as inferences had to be drawn from the correlation between learner metacognition and mathematics achievement. The quantitative findings showed a statistically significant correlation between KC and mathematics achievement, as well as between Declarative knowledge and mathematics achievement. Since MI had a statistically significant impact on KC and Declarative knowledge, it is concluded that MI also had a positive impact on mathematics achievement. The qualitative findings strongly support the quantitative findings regarding the positive impact of MI on learner metacognition. The quantitative findings in respect of the correlation between learner metacognition and mathematics achievement were only partially supported by the qualitative data. Main recommendations emerging from this study relate to the improvement of learners’ mathematics achievement by enhancing their Declarative knowledge, the enhancement of learners’ problem-solving skills, and the need to implement metacognitive interventions in mathematics particularly in schools where the teachers are inexperienced or under qualified.