The Effectiveness of Meta-cognitive Skills Training on the Motivational Structure and Academic Performance of Drop-out Students

Meta-cognitive skills training through giving meaning to information and making a logical connection between new and previously learned content, enables students to learn better and improve their academic performance. The present study was carried out to investigate the effectiveness of meta-cognitive skills training on the motivational structure and academic performance of drop-out students.

This study considered as semi-experimental research which has used the pretest-post-test with control group design. In this study, the statistical population included all drop-out male and female students of the Sari Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University (They entered the university in 2014 and considered as drop-out students for at least two years). Thirty students were selected using the purposive sampling method, who randomly divided into two groups of experimental (n=15) and control (n=15). Meta-cognitive skills taught to the experimental group within four sessions. The Motivational Structure Questionnaire (MSQ) and academic performance report card were used to collect data. Covariance analysis and SPSS-24 software used for data analysis.

According to the results of covariance analysis, there is a significant difference between the experimental and control groups (P < 0.001). Therefore, it can conclude that meta-cognitive skills training a significant effect on the motivational structure and students’ academic performance.

Due to the results of this study, it is imperative that university officials pay attention to the effect of the meta-cognitive training program on the motivational structure and performance of drop-out students and provide the proper context for relevant skills training in the counseling department, the department of social affairs and educational field.