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This work-in-progress paper shares findings of the early stage of a 3-year research funded by the National Science Foundation. The major aim of the project is to advance engineering and mathematics (EM) education theory and practice related to students’ self-regulation of cognition and motivation skills during problem-solving activities. The self-regulation includes students’ metacognitive knowledge about task (MKT) and self-regulation of cognition (SRC). The motivational component of self-regulation (SRM) includes self-control of the motivation needed to maintain the level of engagement and deliberate practice necessary for scientific thinking and reasoning. To be effective problem-solvers, students must understand the relationship between the MKT, SRC and SRM throughout the problem-solving activities. Four research questions will guide the research: (1) How do students perceive their self-regulation of cognition (SRC) and motivation (SRM) skills for generic problem-solving activities in EM courses; (2) How does students’ metacognitive knowledge about problem-solving tasks (MKT) inform their Task interpretation?; (3) How do students’ SRC and SRM dynamically evolve?; and (4) How do students’ SRC and SRM reflect their perceptions of self-regulation of cognition and motivation for generic EM problemsolving activities? A sequential mixed-methods research design involving quantitative and qualitative methods are used to develop complementary coarse- and fine-grained understandings of undergraduate students’ SRC and SRM during academic problem-solving activities. Two 2nd year EM courses: Engineering Statics, and Ordinary Differential Equations were purposefully selected for the contexts of the study. One hundred forty two students from both courses were invited and participated in quantitative data collection using two validated surveys during spring 2022 semester. Later in the semester, qualitative data will be generated with twenty students in both courses through one-on-one interviews with students and course instructors, think-aloud protocols with students, and classroom observations. Coarse-grained understandings of students’ SRC and SRM are currently developed through analysis of quantitative data collected using self-report surveys (i.e., BRoMS and PMI). Fine-grained understandings of students’ SRC and SRM will be developed through analysis of qualitative data gathered via one-on-one interviews, think-aloud protocols, classroom observations, and course artifacts gathered as students engage in EM problem-solving activities.
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Metacognition and Self-Efficacy in Action: How First-Year Students Monitor and Use Self-Coaching to Move Past Metacognitive Discomfort During Problem Solving
This qualitative study of 52 first-year life science students’ metacognition and self-efficacy in action shows that students monitor in a myriad of ways and use self-coaching to overcome the discomfort associated with being metacognitive while solving challenging biochemistry problems.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1942318
- PAR ID:
- 10509400
- Editor(s):
- Schussler, Elisabeth
- Publisher / Repository:
- NSF Public Access Repository
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- CBE—Life Sciences Education
- Volume:
- 23
- Issue:
- 2
- ISSN:
- 1931-7913
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
-
Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.23-08-0158
