Assessing Metacognition: Theory and Practices

Many researchers in education emphasized students' metacognition should be fostered for academic development and achievement. However, to support students' metacognitive development and adequacy appropriately, their metacognition is to be assessed first. For this purpose, this theoretical study conducted a short review of metacognition, its assessment, and limitations of assessment measures and procedures. By focusing on ten current studies, a pattern of metacognition assessment was portrayed. It was concluded that knowledge about and regulation of cognition was assessed simultaneously as metacognition theory proposes. To assess especially knowledge about cognition, exclusively off-line measures were used. For regulation of cognition, both off-line and on-line measures were used. Chronological analysis of these studies revealed that latest metacognition assessment studies tended to utilize domain-specific or real-life tasks. Based on the findings, research implications for assessment and instruction were laid down.