Metacognitive mediation in learning with computer-based simulations

摘要

The objective of this study was to determine whether providing students with metacognitive instructions during experimentation in a computer simulation environment results in better learning outcomes than unguided discovery learning. High and low intelligent students worked in either a metacognitive-mediated (MM) or unguided discovery (UD) environment for learning principles of electricity. Analyses of thinking-aloud protocols showed that MM subjects exhibited a better working method than subjects in the UD condition. MM subjects performed better than UD subjects on a posttest tapping qualitative knowledge, but on a posttest of quantitative problems only low intelligent MM subjects showed enhanced performance. No learning effects of metacognitive instruction were detected in the analyses of the retention tests. These results are discussed in relation to the nature of metacognitive activities.