The Relationship between Metacognition Skills with Academic Motivation and Academic Achievement among High School Students in Kerman, Iran

Background Learning is the most important human attribute. Cognition plays an important role in it and metacognition is another form of cognition that monitors cognitive processes and plays an important role in motivating one to learn. This study aimed at investigating the relationship between metacognition skills with academic motivation and academic achievement in high school students in Kerman, Iran. Materials and Methods In this cross-sectional descriptive-analytic study, 332 first-grade high school students in Kerman city, Iran, in 2018-19 were selected using stratified random sampling method (160 girls and 172 boys). The data were collected using the McClelland Academic Achievement Scale, O'Neill's Metacognition Skills (1996), and students’ first semester average point to measure their academic achievement. Data were analyzed by SPSS software (version 16.0) using multivariate regression. Results Findings showed that among the metacognition components, only planning had a significant effect on students' academic motivation (P<0.05). Furthermore, among the metacognition components, cognitive awareness and strategy had a significant effect on students' academic achievement (P<0.05). Findings also showed a significant positive relationship between students' academic motivation and academic achievement (r = 0.128, P<0.001). Conclusion The results of this study showed a positive and significant relationship between academic motivation and academic achievement in high school students.