What is meta-cognition?

[Lorenzo]

What is meta-cognition? How is meta-cognition useful in doctoral research?

[Lorenzo]

Metacognition is defined as the higher order thinking that involves active control over the thinking processes involved in learning. Such activities that are associated with meta-cognition include planning how to approach a given learning task, monitoring comprehension and evaluating progress towards the completion of a particular task are natural examples of meta-cognition.

Meta-cognitive knowledge involves executive monitoring processes that address the following aspects in learning: identification of the task that one is working on, observing the progression of said work, the evaluation of that progress , and the prediction of what the outcome of said progression will be. Metacognition is quite important for doctoral learners because the use of meta-cognition allows us to not only develop a plan of action, but allows us to maintain and monitor that said plan and evaluating that said plan.

Metacognition is important because it is utilized in selecting a research proposal, meta-cognition is the very driving force in one’s predilection for what to research, what to focus one’s energy on in terms of qualitative and/or quantitative analytical research. One employs meta-cognition during the writing of the introduction of the paper, the development of the hypothesis, the methodology, and the data analysis part. In fact, one could say that without meta-cognition, one would be unable to complete research.