A Longitudinal Examination of Student Approaches to Learning and Metacognition

Abstract

Student Approaches to Learning (SAL) mainly consists of two contradictory approaches (surface and deep learning) to learning that have been extensively studied in educational research. Metacognition, which refers to the process of thinking about one’s thinking, has been shown to play a crucial role in helping students shift from a surface to a deep approach to learning. The current study collected data using two questionnaires (RSPQ-2F& MAI) from 1329 students. Both metacognition and learning approaches showed medium correlations and an effect of the year of study. A crossed-lagged model shows no effect of deep learning on metacognitive knowledge or regulation, although this does increase significantly over time. Overall, the study’s findings suggest a complex yet clear relationship between student learning approaches and their final grade outcomes. Students will lean towards more surface learning as their (perceived) workload increases and assessments become more challenging. These findings suggest that teachers and policy makers should seek ways to increase deep learning methods, possibly using metacognitive skills training.