Home⇛Psychology and Education: A Multidisciplinary Journal⇛vol. 46 no. 2 (2025)

Metacognition and Problem-Solving Skills of Grade 9 Students

Dexter Malimban

Discipline: Education

 

Abstract:

The study examined the relationship between metacognitive knowledge, metacognitive regulation, and problemsolving performance among Grade 9 students at Balele Integrated High School. Anchored on the principles of metacognition and problem-solving theory, the study aimed to determine the levels of students' metacognitive abilities and their association with specific components of problem-solving skills. A descriptive-correlational design was utilized, involving 123 Grade 9 students selected through stratified random sampling. Data were gathered using a validated, researcher-made metacognitive questionnaire and a problem-solving test, both of which were evaluated through a structured rubric. Results revealed that students demonstrated a high level of metacognitive regulation, with composite mean scores of 3.70 in planning, 3.50 in monitoring, and 3.52 in evaluation—each interpreted as "Highly Manifested." Similarly, 52% of students were rated Excellent in declarative knowledge, 49% in procedural knowledge, and 43% in conditional knowledge. Problem-solving skills were also high, with 98% of students rated Excellent in "Read and Think," 97% in "Explore," and 93% in "Select a Strategy." However, Pearson correlation analysis showed a weak negative relationship between metacognitive regulation and the problem-solving component "Select a Strategy" (r = -0.238), and a weak positive relationship between metacognitive regulation and "Find and Answer" (r = 0.300). No significant relationship was found between metacognitive knowledge and problem-solving skills, suggesting the independence of the two variables. These findings imply that while students exhibit strong metacognitive awareness, its influence on specific problem-solving processes varies, highlighting the need for targeted instructional interventions.



References:

  1. Ader, E. (2013). A framework for understanding teachers’ promotion of students’ metacognition. International Journal for Mathematics Teaching and Learning. http://www.cimt.org.uk/journal/ader.pdf. Retrieved 07 September 2019.
  2. Ahghar, G. (2012). Effect of Problem-solving Skills Education on Auto-regulation learning of High School Students in Tehran. Elsevier, Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 69, 688 – 694.
  3. Akinyemi, O. O., Adebayo, O. A., Akinyemi, J. O., & Adedokun, B. O. (2018). Assessment of the Quality of Life of Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy in a Tertiary Hospital in Nigeria Using the EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-BR23. Journal of Cancer Education, 33(3), 676-683. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-017-1214-3
  4. Aljaberi, N. M., & Gheith, E. (2015). University Students’ Level of Metacognitive Thinking and their Ability to Problems Solve. American International Journal of Contemporary Research, 5(3).
  5. Almazan, R. A. A., & Ramos, J. E. G. (2019). The relationship between metacognition and problem-solving skills of students. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 1373(1), 012074. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1373/1/012074
  6. Amin, I., & Sukestiyarno, Y. (2015). Analysis Metacognitive Skills on Learning Mathematics in High School. International Journal of Education and Research, 216.
  7. Anggraini, D., Suryadi, D., & Dahlan, J. A. (2018). Problem-Solving Strategies of Students with High Mathematics Ability in Solving Non-Routine Problems. Journal on Mathematics Education, 9(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.22342/jme.9.1.5136.1-12
  8. Apino E. & Retnawati E. (2017). Developing Instructional Design to Improve Mathematical Higher Order Thinking Skills of Students IOP, vol. 812
  9. Aydogdu. (2014). A On Geometry Research Problem Solving Strategies Used By Elementary Mathematics Teacher Candidates. Journal of Educational and Instructional Studies in The World, 4(1), Article: 07 ISSN: 2146-7463. Turkey: WJEIS.
  10. Batubara, N. F., Mukhtar, S. E., & Syahputra, E. (2017). Analysis Of Student Mathematical Problem Solving Ability At Budi Satrya Of Junior High School. International Journal of Advance Research and Innovative Ideas in Education (IJARIIE), 3(2), ISSN (O) -2395-4396.
  11. Baumanns, L. (2022). Identifying metacognitive behavior in problem-posing processes. Development of a framework and a proof of concept. In Mathematical Problem Posing (pp. 189-223). Springer Spektrum, Wiesbaden.
  12. Beach, Paul T., R. C. Anderson, Jessica N. Jacovidis, and Kristine L. Chadwick. “Making the abstract explicit: The role of metacognition in teaching and learning.” Organisation du Baccalauréat International: Maryland, USA (2020).
  13. Beran, M. J. (2012). Foundations of metacognition. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199646739.001.0001
  14. Bostic, J. D., Stephen J. P, and Tim Jacobbe. (2016). Encouraging Sixth-Grade Students’ Problem-Solving Performance by Teaching through Problem Solving. Investigations in Mathematics Learning 8(3):30–58. doi: 10.1080/24727466.2016.11790353.
  15. Braithwaite, D.W. and Sprague, L. (2021), Conceptual Knowledge, Procedural Knowledge, and Metacognition in Routine and Non-routine Problem Solving. Cognitive Science, 45: e13048. https://doi.org/10.1111/cogs.13048
  16. Brizio, A., Gabbatore, I., Tirassa, M., and Bosco, F. M. (2015).“No more a child, not yet an adult”: studying social cognition in adolescence. Front. Psychol. 6:1011. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01011
  17. Bryce, D., Whitebread, D., & Szűcs, D. (2015). The relationships among executive functions, metacognitive skills and educational achievement in 5 and 7 year-old children. Metacognition and Learning, 10(2), 181–198. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11409-014-9120-4
  18. Chimuma, L. L., & Johnson, I. D. (2016). Assessing Students’ Use of Metacognition during Mathematical Problem Solving Using Smartpens. Educational Research: Theory & Practice, 28(1), 22-36.
  19. Das, Ranjan & Das, Gunendra Chandra. (2013). Math Anxiety: The Poor Problem Solving Factor in School Mathematics. International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, Vol. 3, Issue 4.
  20. De Backer, L., Van Keer, H., & Valcke, M. (2014). Socially shared metacognitive regulation during reciprocal peer tutoring: identifying its relationship with students’ content processing and transactive discussions. Instructional Science, 43(3), 323e344. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11251-014-9335-4
  21. De Backer, L., Van Keer, H., Moerkerke, B., & Valcke, M. (2016). Examining evolutions in the adoption of metacognitive regulation in reciprocal peer tutoring groups. Metacognition and Learning. Retrieved from https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/5946442
  22. Demir, A., Kiziloglu, M., Budur, T. et al. Elaborating on the links between declarative knowledge, procedural knowledge, and employee performance. SN Bus Econ 3, 23 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43546-022-00402-3
  23. Department of Education Curriculum Guide for Mathematics K to 10, May 2016
  24. Department of Education Order no. 8, 2015 – Policy Guidelines on Classroom Assessment for K to 12 Basic Education Program
  25. Desoete, A., & De Craene, B. (2019). Metacognition and mathematics education: an overview. ZDM. doi:10.1007/s11858-019-01060-w
  26. Dignath, C., & Büttner, G. (2018). Teachers’ direct and indirect promotion of self-regulated learning in primary and secondary school mathematics classes—Insights from video-based classroom observations and teacher interviews. Metacognition and Learning, 13, 127–157. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11409-018-9181-x
  27. Dixon, R.A., Brown R.A. (2012). Transfer of Learning: Connecting Concepts During Problem Solving. Journal of Technology Education. Vol. 24(1), 2-17.
  28. Fatma Erya Santoso, E. Elvis Napitupulu, and Zul Amry, “Metacognitive Level Analysis of High School Students in Mathematical Problem-Solving Skill.” American Journal of Educational Research, vol. 7, no. 12 (2019): 919-924. doi: 10.12691/education-7-12-4.
  29. Fuchs, L. S., Fuchs, D., & Compton, D. L. (2012). The Effects of Progress Monitoring on Student Mathematics Achievement: A Meta-Analysis. Exceptional Children, 78(4), 373-395. https://doi.org/10.1177/001440291207800401
  30. Gallagher, C., Hipkins, R., & Zohar, A. (2012). Positioning thinking within national curriculum and assessment systems: Perspectives from Israel, New Zealandand Northern Ireland. Elsevier, Thinking Skills and Creativity, 7, 134-143.
  31. Global Metacognition Institute. What is metacognitive knowledge? Global Metacognition. Retrieved March 16, 2020, from https://www.globalmetacognition.com/post/what-is-metacognitive-knowledge
  32. Güner, P. & Erbay, H. N. (2021). Metacognitive skills and problem-solving. International Journal of Research in Education and Science (IJRES), 7(3), 715-734. https://doi.org/10.46328/ijres.1594
  33. Gupta R. (2013). Problem Solving Ability and Academic Achievement among The Students Belonging to Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Caste Categories Int. J. Res. Pedagogy Technol. Educ. Mov. Sci., vol. 1, pp. 95–107
  34. Händel, Marion; Artelt, Cordula; Weinert, Sabine: Assessing metacognitive knowledge: development and evaluation of a test instrument - In: Journal for educational research online 5 (2013) 2, S. 162-188 -URN: urn:nbn:de:0111-opus-84297 - DOI: 10.25656/01:8429
  35. Hastuti, I. D., Toto, N., & Hery, S. (2016). Constructive Metacognitive Activity Shift in Mathematical Problem Solving. 12.
  36. Hong J, Pi Z, Yang J (2018) Learning declarative and procedural knowledge via video lectures: cognitive load and learning effectiveness. Innov Educ Teach Int 55(1):74–81
  37. Joke H. van Velzen (2012) Teaching metacognitive knowledge and developing expertise, Teachers and Teaching: theory and practice, 18:3, 365-380, DOI:10.1080/13540602.2012.629843
  38. Kalyuga, S., Ayres, P., Chandler, P., & Sweller, J. (2017). Conditional Knowledge and Mathematics Education: Acquisition, Representation, and Transfer of Knowledge About Conditional Relationships Between Propositions. Educational Psychology Review, 29(3), 581-594. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-016-9376-8
  39. Karaali, G. (2015). Metacognition in the Classroom: Motivation and Self-Awareness of Mathematics Learners. (EJ1060949).
  40. Karatas, I, & Baki, A. (2013). The Effect of Learning Environments Based on Problem Solving on Students’ Achievements of Problem Solving.” 19.
  41. Karatas, I., Yavuz, M., & Bektas, O. (2019). The Effect of Metacognitive Instruction on the Problem-Solving Skills of Pre-Service Mathematics Teachers. Journal of Education and Practice, 10(2), 60-70. http://www.iiste.org/Journals/index.php/JEP/article/view/46609/47918
  42. Kilic, H., Cakiroglu, J., & Ozdemir, E. (2015). The Effect of Problem-Solving Plans on Students’ Problem-Solving Performance and Self-Efficacy Beliefs in Mathematics. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 13(5), 1107-1125. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-014-9573-9
  43. Krawec, J. L., & Huang, J. (2014). The role of given information and problem structure in mathematical problem solving. Journal of Educational Psychology, 106(3), 901-910. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0035935
  44. Kump B, Moskaliuk J, Cress U, Kimmerle J (2015) Cognitive foundations of organizational learning: Re-introducing the distinction between declarative and non-declarative knowledge. Front Psychol 30(6):1489
  45. Kuzle, A. (2013). Patterns of metacognitive behavior during mathematics problem-solving in a dynamic geometry environment. International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, 8(1), 20-40.
  46. Kuzle, A. (2019). Design and Evaluation of Practice-Oriented Materials Fostering Students’ Development of Problem-Solving Competence: The Case of Working Backward Strategy. 27.
  47. Liljedahl, P., Santos, M., Malaspina, T.U., & Bruder, R. (2016). Problem Solving in Mathematics Education. ICME-13 Topical Surveys. Germany: Springer Open.
  48. Liu, Y., Xin, Y. P., & Wang, J. (2018). The Effects of Planning on Mathematics Problem Solving Performance. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (iJET), 13(06), 167-179. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v13i06.8355
  49. Marsigit. (2012). Kajian Penelitian (Review Jurnal Internasional) Pendidikan Matematika S2 Pendidikan Matematika. PPS UNY.
  50. Mokos E, Kafoussi S (2013). Elementary students’ spontaneous metacognitive functions in different types of mathematical problems. J. Res. Math. Educ. 2(2):242-267.
  51. Ohtani, K., & Hisasaka, T. (2018). Beyond intelligence: a meta-analytic review of the relationship among metacognition, intelligence, and academic performance. Metacognition and Learning, 13(2), 179–212. doi:10.1007/s11409-018-9183-8
  52. Ozsoy, G., & Ataman, A. (2015). The Effects of Metacognitive Strategy Training on Mathematical Problem Solving. Educational Sciences: Theory and Practice, 15(4), 943-952. https://doi.org/10.12738/estp.2015.4.2412
  53. Pintér, K. “On Teaching Mathematical Problem-Solving and Problem Posing”. PhD Thesis, University of Szeged, Szeged, 2012
  54. Psycharis, S., & Kallia, M. (2017). The effects of computer programming on high school students’ reasoning skills and mathematical self-efficacy and problem solving. Instructional Science, 45(5), 583–602. doi:10.1007/s11251-017-9421-5
  55. Raes, A., Schellens, T., De Wever, B., & Benoit, D. F. (2016). Promoting metacognitive regulation through collaborative problem solving on the web: When scripting does not work. Computers in Human Behavior, 58, 325–342. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2015.12.064
  56. Republic Act no. 10533 – Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013
  57. Rittle-Johnson, B., & Schneider, M. (2015). Developing Conceptual and Procedural Knowledge of Mathematics. In R. Cohen Kadosh & A. Dowker (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Numerical Cognition (pp. 1102-1118). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199642342.013.006
  58. Rivers, M. L., Dunlosky, J., & Persky, A. M. (2020). Measuring metacognitive knowledge, monitoring, and control in the pharmacy classroom and experiential settings. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 84(5).
  59. Safitri, Y., & Arnawa, M. (2019). Mathematics learning device development based on constructivism approach to improve mathematical reasoning skill of class x students in vocational high school. International Journal of Scientific & Technology
  60. Sajna Jaleel*, P. P. (2016). A Study on the Metacognitive Awareness of Secondary. Universal Journal of Educational Research. doi: 10.13189/ujer.2016.040121
  61. Salles, A., Ais, J., Semelman, M., Sigman, M., and Calero, C. I. (2016). The metacognitive abilities of children and adults. Cogn. Dev. 40, 101–110. doi: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2016.08.009
  62. Santoso, H.A., Istiqomah, N.R, & Santoso, D. (2022). Mapping High School Students’ Metacognition Based On Mathematics Skills. Journal of Mathematical Pedagogy, 2 (2), 68-81.
  63. Sengul, S., & Katranci, Y. (2012). Metacognitive Aspects of Solving Function Problems. Elsevier, Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, 46, 2178-2182. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.05.450
  64. Shi J., Mo X., Sun Z. Content validity index in scale development. Zhong Nan Da Xue Xue Bao Yi Xue Ban.
  65. Simamora, R. E., Sidabutar, D. R., & Surya, E. (2017). Improving learning activity and students’ problem solving skill through problem based learning (PBL) in junior high school. International Journal of Sciences: Basic and Applied Research (IJSBAR), 33(2), 321-331.
  66. Stephanou, G., & Mpiotini, M. (2017). Metacognitive awareness and self-regulated learning in Greek primary school students. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 32(3), 425-442. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-016-0298-1
  67. Susilo, M. B., & Retnawati, H. (2018). An Analysis of Metacognition and Mathematical Self-Efficacy Toward Mathematical Problem Solving Ability. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 1097, 012140. doi:10.1088/1742-6596/1097/1/012140
  68. Szabo, A. & Andrews, P. (2017). Examining the interaction of mathematical abilities and mathematical memory: A study of problem solving activity of high-achieving Swedish upper secondary students. The Mathematics Enthusiast. Vol. 14(1,2& 3 ), 141-160
  69. Teng, (Mark) Feng. (2019). The role of metacognitive knowledge and regulation in mediating university EFL learners’ writing performance. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 1–15. doi:10.1080/17501229.2019.1615493
  70. Van Dooren, W., De Bock, D., Hessels, A., & Verschaffel, L. (2013). The Relationship between Declarative Knowledge and Procedural Knowledge in Mathematics: A Review. Educational Psychology Review, 25(4), 539-569. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-013-9232-0
  71. Van Dooren, W., De Bock, D., Janssens, D., & Verschaffel, L. (2017). The Role of Declarative Knowledge in Mathematics Problem Solving. In Handbook of Epistemic Cognition (pp. 383-400). Routledge.
  72. Veenman, M. V. J. (2013). Training metacognitive skills in students with availability and production defciencies. In H. Bembenutty, T. Cleary, & A. Kitsantas (Eds.), Applications of self-regulated learning across diverse disciplines: A tribute to Barry J. Zimmerman (pp. 299–324). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing
  73. Verschaffel, L., Greer, B., & De Corte, E. (2012). Mathematics problem solving. In G. Walberg & G. Haertel (Eds.), Handbook of education policy research (pp. 307-321). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2676-5_21
  74. Winne, P. H., & Azevedo, R. (n.d.). Metacognition. The Cambridge Handbook of the Learning Sciences, 63–87. doi:10.1017/cbo9781139519526.006
  75. Zainuddin, M., & Halim, H. A. (2016). The influence of metacognitive regulation strategies on students’ reading performance. Journal of Taibah University for Science, 10(6), 854-862. doi: 10.1016/j.jtusci.2016.05.002. Available: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1658365516300809

Tools


Copyright © 2026  KITE Digital Educational Solutions |  Exclusively distributed by CE-Logic