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Metacognitive strategy interventions to improve analytical thinking skills: A quasi-experimental study

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This quasi-experiment tested whether metacognitive training systematically enhances analytical thinking in 438 Malaysian first-year undergraduates, and it fills the under-tested area of applying Social Cognitive Theory mechanisms in the Malaysian higher education context. Intervention participants were given six weekly sessions on planning, monitoring, and reflection, while controls received normal instruction. t -test and PLS-SEM findings revealed that knowledge of tasks (MKT) and knowledge of person (MKP), and planning (MRP) and monitoring (MRM) significantly affected analytical thinking, explaining 73.5 % of its variance. Knowledge of strategies (MKS) and regulation/control (MRC), on the other hand, were not significant. The results underscore the significance of integrating planning and monitoring cues in coursework to improve students' higher-order thinking. One main limitation is the reliance on single-item scales for some of the constructs, and future studies should use longitudinal designs. The implications are useful for curriculum development in higher education.

Source: Social Sciences & Humanities Open

DOI: 10.1016/j.ssaho.2025.102021

Authors: Lilian Anthonysamy, Tai-ming Edmund Wut, Ooi Wei Lim

Institutions: Multimedia University, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Heriot-Watt University Malaysia

Language: English

Topic: Educational Strategies and Epistemologies

Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Quality education

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,180