Theme: learner-centred approaches to teaching and learner autonomy contents: introduction

Autonomy and Metacognition

In the section above I have already touched upon the subject of metacognition several times. Metacognition is our knowledge of cognitive processes. Flavell (1970) was the first to coin the term and referred to it as our awareness of the learning process. According to Hacker, Dunlosky and Graesser (1998), metacognitive awareness consists of three parts: thinking of what one knows (metacognitive knowledge), thinking of what one is currently doing (metacognitive skill) and thinking of what one’s current cognitive or affective state is (metacognitive experience). What is important is that all this knowledge, the beliefs and perceptions are related to learner autonomy. These three elements are needed to make informed decisions about one’s learning. If it is the aim of education to let learners take charge of their own learning (for whichever of the reasons mentioned in the preceding paragraphs), then they need to be able to plan, monitor and evaluate their learning. And in order to do so, they need to be metacognitively aware. In the words of O’Malley and Chamot (1985): “Students without metacognitive approaches are essentially learners without direction and ability to review their progress, accomplishments and future learning directions” (p.24).
The relationship between metacognitive awareness and learning gains has yet to be explored. One of the few examples is a study conducted by Jones et al. (1987, cited in Sinclair 1999) who found that metacognitive awareness was related to success in language learning in that effective learners were aware of the processes underlying their own learning processes and attempted to use appropriate strategies to manage their own learning. However, the relationship is as yet unclear and depends on many factors. Kluwe (1982) summarises:
Whether people can monitor and regulate their thinking, how and when they monitor and regulate, and whether greater chances for success are realised through monitoring and regulating depends on the task, the demands posed by the task, people’s knowledge of the task, and the kinds of cognitive strategies they can bring to bear on the task. However, equally important is how people assess themselves as self-regulatory organisms, as ‘agents of their own thinking’. (p.222)
However, it is clear that metacognitive awareness is an important element in learning and crucial to the development of learner autonomy (Wilkins 1996; Wenden, 1999). In the words of Little (1997) “Clearly, the development of explicit metalinguistic awareness is fundamental to our capacity for autonomy as language users” (p. 37).