Instructional metacognitive knowledge: a qualitative study on conceptions of freshmen about instruction

Many studies have pointed to the limited direct effectiveness of instructio nal interventions and one explanation of this has drawn attention to the im portance of 'instructional metacognitive knowledge'. In this exploratory st udy, instructional metacognitive knowledge of university freshmen is addres sed by means of a survey covering: (a) instruction in general, (b) instruct ion in two different environments, and (c) specific delivery systems and co ncrete instructional interventions. While some differences appeared in the answers on different sets of questions, also large similarities were found. The results show students' knowledge about instruction to be mainly affect ed by their instructional experiences. The students' view is 'reactive' and places instructional agents at the core of the instructional process. The findings provide additional support for the importance of correspondence be tween learners' and teachers' views on instructional interventions if forms of support for students' learning are to be effective.