Success factors in developing metacognitive skills among engineering students

Abstract

Metacognitive skills are recognized to aid in the regulation of learning and problem-solving. To acquire metacognitive skills, constructivist learning approaches such as Cooperative Problem Based Learning (CPBL) are reported to address the development of the required skills. In this study, the focus is given on examining the metacognitive skills development in CPBL teaching and learning. The CPBL arises from the integration of principles of cooperative learning into problem-based learning. The implementation of CPBL for engineering students is aimed at systematic scaffolding through enculturating metacognitive skills. The purpose of this research is to investigate what are the factors that contribute to metacognitive skills development among engineering students. The study was conducted on six first-year students which enrolled in Introduction to Engineering (ITE) course for chemical engineering undergraduate degree using semi-structured interviews. The success factors identified in this study are vision as engineers, effort, and motivation. From these findings, the factors discussed were key to engage the students with the learning process in CPBL. It will illustrate the significance of the CPBL activities and the influence of these activities on the development of engineering students' metacognitive skills.