The Effect of the Metacognitive Strategies in The Problem Solving Skills of College Algebra Students

Ma. Elena S. Casaig

This study aims to determine the effect of metacognitive processes in the problem solving skills of the students.  It employed the quasi-experimental matching-only pre-test and post-test research design and utilized the two intact sections with 19 matched- paired first year students coming from the two sections of Bachelor of Science in Office Administration and Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurship students enrolled at Carlos Hilado Memorial State College–Fortune Town Campus during the second semester of school year 2016-2017. One section was exposed to metacognitive strategies as the experimental group and the other section as the control group exposed to the traditional method of teaching. Results of the study showed that problem solving skill of both the control group and experimental group is “novice” before their exposure in the concepts and problem solving in Algebra. After the experimental group were exposed to the concepts and problem solving using the metacognitive strategies, their posttest scores increased to “developing” problem solver. However, the control group after they were exposed to the concepts and problem solving only is still novice problem solver. There was no significant difference in the pretest problem solving skills of the control and experimental group of students; there was a significant difference in the pretest and posttest problem solving skills of traditional group of students; there was a significant difference in the pretest and posttest problem solving skills of the metacognitive group of students; there was a significant difference in the problem solving skills of the control and metacognitive group of students after exposure to the concepts and problem solving in Algebra; there was a significant relationship between problem–solving skills and metacognition skills of the students. Students who utilized metacognitive strategies during the course of problem solving enhanced their problem–solving skills since they could regulate their thinking processes, thus, making them aware of what they were going to do to solve the problem. The results of this study were taken as bases for developing a Learning Model on Metacognition.

https://doi.org/10.31871/IJNTR.5.5.75