An Exploration of Metacognition and Its Effect on Mathematical Performance In Differential Equations

Research suggests that students who are “metacognitively aware learners” demonstrate better academic performance (Shraw & Dennison, 1994; Md. Yunus & Ali, 2008). In this research, the metacognitive levels for two classes of differential equations students were studied. Students completed a survey adapted from the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (MAI) (Shraw & Dennison, 1994) at the start of the course. The questions chosen from the MAI were aimed at three components concerning the students’ knowledge about their cognition: declarative knowledge, procedural knowledge, and conditional knowledge. Analysis shows student performance, as measured by the course grade, cannot be predicted by metacognitive awareness levels.