The Impact of Metacognitive Skills on Academic Achievement of Students in Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences

Background and Many authorities believe that university students face challenges in scientific reasoning. Metacognitive skills results in boosting and organized thinking in learning process. Students usually do not know how to use metacognitive skills, thus these skills should be strengthened in students. This comparative-causal study was carried out in 5096 students. Using korjesi and Morgan table, 357 students were randomly selected to participate in the study. The students were studying in undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Metacognitive skills questionnaire was used to collect the data. The student’s grade point average was used as the criterion for academic achievement. SPSS V.16 was applied to analyze the data. The indices of planning, controlling, evaluating, and regulating skills were found to have significant roles in student's academic achievement (P<0.005). Metacognitive skills were found to be more effective in academic achievement in female students. These effects were similar in employed and unemployed students. There was a positive relationship between using metacognitive skills with increase in academic performance. Control skill was the only variable that could predict the student's academic achievement. Metacognitive skills were found to be highly influential in enhancing academic performance among university students. Hence, training programs in metacognitive skills could be of great benefit.