An Investigation of 8th-Grade Students’ Metacognitive Skills Employed in the Problem-Solving Process

Abstract

The concept of metacognition is one of the key constructs in mathematics education, as it reveals how and what students think while solving mathematical problems. As a cognitive variable influencing the problem-solving process, metacognition is essential for fostering students as successful problem solvers. Therefore, identifying the metacognitive processes students employ during problem solving is of particular importance. This study aims to investigate the metacognitive skills used by 8th-grade students in the problem-solving process. For this purpose, problem-solving sessions were conducted with five students in the Maçka district of Trabzon, and the data were supported by observation forms and clinical interviews. The analysis of the data revealed that the metacognitive strategies students used for prediction, planning, monitoring, and evaluation were not sufficient to explain their problem-solving performance. In addition, it was found that a behavior could be both cognitive and metacognitive depending on the student’s purpose of use.

Keywords

• Metacognition
• Metacognitive Skills and Strategies
• Problem Solving

8. Sınıf Öğrencilerinin Problem Çözme Sürecinde Kullandığı Üstbiliş Becerilerin İncelenmesi

Abstract

Üstbiliş kavramı öğrencilerin matematik problemleri çözerken nasıl ve ne düşündüğünü ortaya koyması bakımından matematik eğitiminde anahtar kavramlardan biridir. Problem çözme sürecini etkileyen bilişsel bir değişken olan üstbiliş öğrencilerin başarılı problem çözücüler olarak yetiştirilmesi açısından önem kazanmaktadır. Dolayısıyla öğrencilerin problem çözme sürecinde kullandığı üstbilişin belirlenmesi önemlidir. Bu araştırmada 8. sınıf öğrencilerin problem çözme sürecinde kullandığı üstbiliş becerilerin araştırılması amaçlanmıştır. Bu amaç doğrultusunda Trabzon ili Maçka ilçesindeki 5 öğrenci ile problem çözme oturumları düzenlenmiş, gözlem formu ve klinik mülakatlar ile veriler desteklenmiştir. Verilerin analizi sonucunda öğrencilerin tahmin, planlama, izleme ve değerlendirme için kullandıkları üstbiliş stratejilerin problem çözme başarılarını açıklamak için yeterli olmadığı ortaya çıkmıştır. Ayrıca bir davranışın öğrencinin kullanım amacına bağlı olarak hem bilişsel hem de üstbilişsel olduğu ortaya çıkmıştır.

Keywords

• Üstbiliş
• Üstbiliş Beceri ve Üstbiliş Strateji
• Problem Çözme

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