The effectiveness of teaching cognitive and metacognitive learning strategies on referral thinking and self-directed learning among students

The main purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of teaching cognitive-metacognitive strategies on referral thinking and self-directed learning among seventh grade female students in Bukan. This was a quasi-experimental study in which a pretest-posttest design with a control group was used.

The sample consisted of 40 subjects who were selected through Convenience Sampling from seventh grade female students in Bukan and were assigned to the experimental (cognitive-metacognitive strategies) and control groups. In the intervention phase, the experimental group was trained in cognitive-metacognitive strategies for 8 sessions of 90 minutes. The control group did not receive any interventions. Ahring’s Reference Thinking Questionnaire (2010) and Fisher’s Self-Guided Learning Questionnaire (2001) were used in pre- and post-test stages to collect data for both experimental and control groups. Research data were analyzed through analysis of covariance using SPSS 23 software. The results of covariance analysis indicated a significant difference between the two groups.

The results showed that teaching cognitive-metacognitive strategies was effective in reducing the students' level of referential thinking and increasing their self-directed learning.