Evaluating the effectiveness of Self-Directed Metacognitive (SDM) questioning during solving of Euclidean geometry problems by grade 11 learners

[摘要] This research explores the importance of Self- Directed Metacognitive questioning in the solving of Euclidean Geometry problems by grade 11 learners. A quasi-experiment was carried out at an urban school with fifty eleventh grade learners. Most researches in Mathematics Education aimed at unveiling socio-economic factors that hamper mathematics learning. In this research, I suggested that strategies that target the learners' metacognitive development can assist in addressing poor mathematics achievement. Metacognition (thinking about thinking) makes learners drivers of their own cognitive processes so that they can become better doers of the subject The research answered the question: Does teaching of metacognition to Further Education and Training (FET) learners help them to become better learners of Euclidian Geometry? This question was broken down into the following sub-questions: What is the effect of the use of Self -Directed Metacognitive (SDM) questions on the confidence level and preparedness of learners in the learning of Euclidean Geometry?To what extent does purposeful teaching and learning of metacognitive skills yield positive results in answering Euclidean Geometry questions? Metacognitive skills helped learners to perform better in problem-solving. This result agrees with previous researchers and is also consistent with the results of earlier investigations showing that achievement in mathematics can be raised through instruction enriched with metacognitive activity. Where previous research dealt with metacognitive training in an implicit manner this research on metacognitive training was done explicitly and it resulted in improved mathematics performance by learners.

[发布机构] University of the Witwatersrand