Abstract:
Title
Assessment of Science Teachers Metacognitive Awareness
and its Impact on the Performance of Students
Number of pages 264
Researcher Fazal ur Rahman
Advisor Prof. Dr. Rehana Masrur
University Allama Iqbal Open University
Year 2011
Subject area Secondary Teacher Education
Degree Ph D
The study was aimed to examine the impact of science teacher’s
metacognitive awareness on the performance of students in the subject of chemistry.
The main objectives of the study were to examine the nature and concept of
metacognition, measure the metacognitive perception of secondary school science
teachers, identify their metacognitive activities, relate all these to student
performance and measure the perceived metacognition of students.
For literature review, a number of empirical studies and research articles on
metacognition were reviewed. Efforts were made to collect primary sources. A
number of research journals were consulted for review as enlisted at annexure 12
and 13.
viFor selection of sample a multistage sampling technique was used. The
sample size was determined by using criteria given by Johnson & Christensen (2000.
p178). Thus for this study a sample of 60 urban science teachers (35 male and 25
female) and 60 rural science teachers (35 male and 25 female) were selected
randomly from the population. With each science teacher a sample of 15 students of
grade X was also randomly selected. Thus, a total of 1800 students and 120 science
teachers were chosen as a sample for the study, this being highly representative of
the population.
The review of literature presented a detailed picture of the research
conducted on different aspects of metacognition. After an extensive literature review
the researcher adapted Schraw and Dennison (1994) Inventory because it was
claimed to be a reliable and valid instrument. Based on Schraw and Dennison, 1994
inventory, the researcher constructed separate inventory for measurement of
metacognitive awareness of teachers and students. Each of the inventory consisted of
37 items having sub scales of procedural knowledge, declarative knowledge,
conditional knowledge, planning, management strategies and evaluation, all derived
from the original Schraw and Dennison survey (Annexure 1 & 2). The researcher
also developed a multiple-choice test in the subject of chemistry to assess the
performance of students. The test items basically involved deep thinking. The items
were based on the textbook of chemistry being taught in the schools. The final
version of the test consisted of 30 items (Annexure 3).
Before actual launch, the inventory and the chemistry test were pilot tested to
check for clarity, ambiguity and to check for timing. For the pilot test, 10 science
viiteachers and 100 students were selected. Very minor adjustments were made as a
result of the pilot but the tests appeared to work well.
Before undertaking the research exercise, formal approval was obtained from
the Directorate of Schools and Literacy department for the collection of data
(Annexure 4) and School Principals, explaining the purpose and requirements of the
study through a letter (Annexure 5). Then, in a meeting with school science teachers,
the objectives of the study and application procedure were discussed. The directions
were administered in oral format by the researcher. The researcher personally
administered the instruments in all schools. Before giving instruments, a brief
introduction about the research was provided to the students. The inventory was first
administered to the respondents followed by the subject-based test to students.
Average completion time for the inventory and achievement test was ten and thirty
minutes respectively.
The data obtained involved response patterns from 120 chemistry teachers
and 1800 students to the 37 questions in the survey as well as some personal
information about the respondents. Student chemistry test data was also obtained.
All the data was entered onto a spreadsheet before statistical analysis. Some of the
data were of an integer nature following an approximation to a normal distribution.
Other data were ordinal in nature, following no clear distribution pattern. Thus, both
parametric and non-parametric statistical approaches were employed.
The data have been analyzed using two different approaches. In the first
approach, it was assumed that metacognitive awareness was formed of six
viiiunderlying skills and that a ‘score’ for metacognitive awareness could be calculated
by collating the scores on the 37 questions.
It was found that male teachers achieved higher scores on knowledge of
cognition and regulation of cognition; similarly, the overall score of male teachers
on MAI was also higher than female teachers. However, the study revealed that this
difference was not significant.
It was also found that teachers with more than 15 years experience and with
in-service training possessed higher scores on the metacognitive inventory. Further
teachers with higher academic and professional qualifications achieved higher score
on the MAI.
It was also revealed that teachers who always consulted library
achieved higher mean score on the inventory. Similarly, the study did not reveal any
significant gender differences in the MAI score of students. The study further
revealed that children of highly educated mothers and the students who had always
the opportunity of tuition performed better on the achievement test and the
inventory.
Students of highly metacognitively aware teachers have a higher mean score
both on the chemistry test and metacognitive inventory, similarly performance of
highly metacognitively aware students on the achievement test was better than low
metacognitively aware students.
In the second approach, each question was analyzed separately which
indicated that metacognition is not a single variable but is highly multivariate. This
approach was considered as factor analyses; of both the response patterns of the
students and the response patterns of the teachers showed no underlying structure at
ixall. This undermines the claims of the original authors of the inventory but, more
importantly, suggests that metacognition is not a single variable or even the six
variables which were derived from the original survey.
Following this approach, it was found that some specific teacher skills (of a
metacognitive nature) were correlated with student test performance (see table
4.3.1). These included the perception of having a good memory, consciously
focusing on information, pausing regular while teaching, considering all options for
solving problem as well as having a clear conception of student goals, an awareness
of student learning and being willing to summarize lessons. It can be argued that
these are the some of the characteristics of a ‘good’ teacher and, therefore, are likely
to generate better test results. The study recommended that these areas may be
focused in the training programs of teachers. It was further recommended that as
parental guidance has a key role in the performance of students. Therefore, the
parents may give attention to this aspect for the betterment of their kid.