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5 - Metacognition and Self-Regulated Learning

from Part I - Foundations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 March 2022

R. Keith Sawyer
Affiliation:
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
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Summary

Metacognition is thinking about the contents and processes of one’s own cognition. Research shows that metacognition plays important roles in most cognitive tasks, from everyday behaviors to problem-solving to expert performance. This chapter focuses on metacognition’s centrality in learning and in self-regulated learning. When learning, people monitor what they know and whether it is aligned with their intended learning outcome. A learner’s ability to monitor effectively is known as calibration. Learners then control their next actions based on their monitoring, and finally they self-regulate the process of monitoring and controlling their learning by shaping and adapting cognition or behavior by reaching forward by planning for future tasks. Research shows that people learn better when they have strong metacognitive abilities and when they can self-regulate their learning effectively.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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