The effects of explicitly teaching metacognitive techniques in a college level human biology class

Abstract

The success rate for Basic Human Biology at Great Falls College - MSU has been declining the last three years. While reflecting on possible reasons for the decline, I narrowed it down to the three most common reasons students seek my help during office hours. These were difficulty with note taking, poor time management and failure to learn from errors. This project evaluated the effect of teaching metacognitive strategies on academic performance, self-efficacy, and ability of students to select appropriate metacognitive strategies. Students were taught time management and study strategies along with reflection activities. Data collection for this project included surveys, interviews, field notes, and exam scores. The results indicated that note taking, study skills and time management improved. Self-efficacy remained the same while academic performance results were inconclusive. The positive outcomes from this project have encouraged me to continue implementing these strategies.