Original scientific paper

METACOGNITION AND INTELLIGENCE AS PREDICTORS OF ACADEMIC SUCCESS

Gabrijela Vrdoljak ; Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Josip Juraj Strossmayer in Osijek, Croatia
Tena Velki ; Faculty of Teacher Education, University of Josip Juraj Strossmayer in Osijek, Croatia

Abstract

Schraw and Mohsman (1995; according to Schraw, Crippen and Hartley, 2006) define metacognition as the knowledge and regulation of cognitive processes. Unlike cognition, which only involves the execution of tasks, metacognition encompasses the understanding of how a task is accomplished. Metacognitive processes are important because they bring about conceptual changes in learning, thus enabling longer retention and different application of the material. In various studies, cognitive abilities have proven to be a significant predictor of academic success, the correlation coefficients between the general intelligence and school grades in primary school amounting to an average of about 0.5 (Neisser et al., 1996). Studies of metacognition and intelligence have shown that metacognition and cognitive abilities are two different constructs, and that a high degree of metacognitive self-regulation can compensate for a lower problem solving ability (Howard, McGee, Shia and Hong, 2001).
The aim of our study was to examine the possibility to predict academic success on the basis of the level of cognitive and metacognitive development (with seventh and eighth grade primary school pupils). The following instruments were used in the study:  the Metacognitive questionnaire (Vizek-Vidović, 1995; according to Zoričić, 1995), the Cognitive-non-verbal test (Sučević, Momirović, Fruk and Auguštin, 2004), and the Mill Hill vocabulary test (Lewis et al., 1977; according to Križan and Matešić, jr., 2001). The results have shown that metacognition, apart from intelligence, is a significant predictor of academic success. The obtained results have direct implications for the teaching practice because they show that pupils who score higher on the Metacognitive questionnaire have higher grades in school, and we can teach metacognition to our pupils.

Keywords

academic success; intelligence; metacognition; pupils

Hrčak ID:

94326

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/94326

Publication date:

23.12.2012.

Article data in other languages: croatian

Visits: 6.217 *