Editing Metacognition (section)

{{short description|Self-awareness about thinking, higher-order thinking skills}}
[[File:Metacognition.jpg|thumb|Metacognition and self directed learning]]
'''Metacognition''' is an awareness of one's thought processes and an [[understanding]] of the patterns behind them. The term comes from the root word ''[[Meta (prefix)|meta]]'', meaning "beyond", or "on top of".<ref name="Metcalfe">Metcalfe, J., & Shimamura, A. P. (1994). ''Metacognition: knowing about knowing''. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.</ref> Metacognition can take many forms, such as reflecting on one's ways of thinking, and knowing when and how oneself and others use particular strategies for [[Problem solving|problem-solving]].<ref name="Metcalfe" /><ref name=":7" /> There are generally two components of metacognition: (1) cognitive conceptions and (2) cognitive regulation system.<ref name="Schraw 1998 113–125">{{cite journal |last= Schraw |first= Gregory |title= Promoting general metacognitive awareness |journal= Instructional Science|year= 1998|volume= 26|pages= 113–125|doi= 10.1023/A:1003044231033|s2cid= 15715418 }}</ref><ref name=":6">Hartelt, T. & Martens, H. (2024). Influence of self-assessment and conditional metaconceptual knowledge on students' self-regulation of intuitive and scientific conceptions of evolution. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 61(5), 1134–1180. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21938</ref> Research has shown that both components of metacognition play key roles in metaconceptual knowledge and learning.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Metacognitive Theory: A Framework for Teaching Literacy, Writing, and Math Skills |date=1992 |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/002221949202500406 |publisher=Hammill Institute on Disabilities|doi=10.1177/002221949202500406 |pmid=1573335 |last1=Borkowski |first1=J. G. |journal=Journal of Learning Disabilities |volume=25 |issue=4 |pages=253–257 |s2cid=10031331 |url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>Gunstone, R. F. & Mitchell, I. I. (2005). Metacognition and conceptual change. In J. J. Mintzes, J. H. Wandersee & J. D. Novak (Eds.), Teaching science for understanding: A human constructivist view (pp. 133¬–163). Academic Press.</ref><ref name=":6" /> [[Metamemory]], defined as knowing about memory and [[mnemonic]] strategies, is an important aspect of metacognition.<ref name="Dunlosky">Dunlosky, J. & Bjork, R. A. (Eds.). ''Handbook of Metamemory and Memory''. Psychology Press: New York, 2008.</ref>

Writings on metacognition date back at least as far as two works by the Greek philosopher [[Aristotle]] (384–322 BC): ''[[On the Soul]]'' and the ''[[Parva Naturalia]]''.<ref>
{{cite book
| last1 = Colman
| first1 = Andrew M.
| year = 2001
| chapter = metacognition
| title = A Dictionary of Psychology
| chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=UDnvBQAAQBAJ
| series = Oxford Paperback Reference
| edition = 4
| location = Oxford
| publisher = Oxford University Press
| publication-date = 2015
| page = 456
| isbn = 9780199657681
| access-date = 17 May 2017
| quote = Writings on metacognition can be traced back at least as far as ''De Anima'' and the ''[[Parva Naturalia]]'' of the Greek philosopher [[Aristotle]] (384-322 BC) [...].
}}
</ref>