Recent developments in the field of cognitive psychology, particularly in the area of information processing, have shed light on the way people think in order to make decisions and solve problems. In addition, cooperative learning research has provided evidence of the effectiveness of cooperatively structured group work aimed at problem solving.…

This project was designed to: (1) assess 7th-graders' metacognitive beliefs and processes and investigate how they affect problem-solving behaviors; and (2) explore the extent to which these students can be taught to be more strategic and aware of their own problem-solving behaviors. The primary assessment was conducted by analyzing video tapes of…

A pilot study assessed the effects of training in self-awareness and self-regulation on the reading comprehension of students in a postsecondary occupational training program. Subjects, 11 students enrolled in a community college technical training program in welding, were given training sessions that provided practice in metacognitive methods…

This monograph reviews the research findings related to study skills and provides a limited number of examples. The monograph emphasizes the relationship of information processing theory to effective teaching and learning, and details the growth of interest in metacognition. It reviews existing programs that teach study skills and discusses the…

The Academic Internship Program (AIP), an experiential education program in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg high schools, is described in this paper. The program utilizes one-on-one and group internships to apply academic learning to real-life problem solving. Implementing a "whole brain" approach, a goal is to provide opportunities for…

A study investigated the finding that metacognitive ability and reading level are related, and examined the effects of both presentation and response modes on young children's ability to detect ambiguity in messages. An ambiguity detection test was completed by 74 first grade children (who also completed a reading pretest), 26 second graders, and…

Teachers enrolled in a graduate reading course on the latest research in comprehension and instructional techniques were asked to keep a metacognitive journal instead of writing a traditional term paper. The journal provided the 32 teachers with the opportunity to become aware of the strategies that they use in processing difficult material,…

To determine whether students have study strategies that they can transfer to future learning tasks, a research study used a content-based model--the Supportive Seminar--a voluntary content review session held by a leader enrolled in a targeted college course for freshmen. The leader acts as a role model for the students by attending all lectures,…

A study was conducted to examine students' reading difficulties from a metacognitive perspective by considering the content of their awareness and the control they demonstrated over that awareness as they reflected on similarities and differences in various types of reading materials. Subjects were 35 seventh grade students representing seven…

A literature review was undertaken to demonstrate how knowledge of one's cognitive processes, the orchestration of strategic effort, and the monitoring of one's cognitive activities can enhance reading performance. The findings indicate that while older readers exercise more awareness of their own learning processes and greater self-control or…

This paper reviews several studies on aptitude treatment interaction, the interaction between the learners' individual differences and methods of instruction. Specifically, it investigates the relationship between previous knowledge, including previously held misconceptions, and instructional methods. It is suggested that significant interactions…

Two contrasting kindergarten reading programs (book-focused and letter-focused) were chosen for a study that evaluated the ability of the Early Reading Test to probe children's knowledge of stories as well as letters, sounds, and words. The test also evaluated the kinds of strategies children use to attempt reading tasks and, through interview…

The dimensions of the broad social-cognitive and metacognitive matrix within which pure cognitions reside are examined. Tangible cognitive actions are the cross products of beliefs held about a task, the social environment within which the task takes place, and the problem solvers' perceptions of self and their relation to the task and…

The problem of increasing academic motivation and performance in low-achieving students is conceived as an instance of cognitive control, the deliberate process of regulating one's own thinking. The study used experienced teachers to aid in adapting and testing classroom techniques for helping low-achieving students to become more self-regulated…

A study was conducted to determine whether word length and sentence position influence the likelihood that a child will acknowledge that a word has disrupted comprehension of a reading passage. In the first task, third and fifth grade skilled and less-skilled readers read 16 short paragraphs containing nonsense words and reported whether the…