J. Elen et J. Lowyck, Instructional metacognitive knowledge: a qualitative study on conceptions of freshmen about instruction, J CURRIC ST, 32(3), 2000, pp. 421-444
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.