Measuring Students' Metacognition in Real-Life Situations

Metacognitive performance of four groups of students (hearing high-achieving, hearing average-achieving, hearing underachieving, and deaf and hard of hearing) in first through third grade in the United Arab Emirates was examined and compared. Metacognition was measured using analyses of pictures depicting real-life problematic events, situations, and behaviors. Participants drew on their ability to apply problem solving and logical reasoning through visual analysis and discrimination of test materials rather than through verbal analysis. Results revealed that metacognition is influenced by students' age. Older students scored significantly higher on the metacognitive measure than younger students. Further analysis indicated that hearing high-achieving students scored significantly higher on the test than the other three groups when the age variable was controlled for. Deaf and hard of hearing students performed similarly to age-matched hearing students in applying reasoning skills to real-life situations.