4 - Problem solving and metacognition

Objective: To explore how cognitive and metacognitive function influences workplace success in dyslexic adults. Background: Prior research suggests that dyslexic adults experience difficulties with executive functioning and developing metacognitive skill, in addition to continuing problems with literacy. This thesis proposes that these difficulties may affect their performance at work. This research therefore aims to investigate these aspects of cognitive and metacognitive function to discover how they relate to workplace success. These findings will provide evidence to inform interventions for dyslexic adults in the workplace. Method: Three studies were conducted. The first study (n=180 dyslexics) established the workplace success criteria: job satisfaction, self-efficacy, academic qualifications and financial success; and explored the relationship with cognitive function in terms of planning and executive attention (the Cognitive failures questionnaire, Broadbent et al.,1982)). The second study (n=116 dyslexics) assessed the participants’ metacognitive skills, confidence and problem solving and investigated the relationships with workplace success criteria. The third study (n=60 dyslexics) assessed executive functioning skills of updating, inhibition and shifting (Miyake et al., 2000) and explored the relationships with workplace success criteria. The data from all three studies were compared with a non-dyslexic control group (n= 30). Variations between the dyslexic and control groups on metacognitive and executive skill were anticipated, and the relationships between these differences and workplace success were investigated. Results: Study 1 found that cognitive failures were related to aspects of workplace success in dyslexics, and that dyslexics experienced more cognitive failures than the control group. But there were no differences between dyslexic and controls in planning or overall workplace success. Study 2 found that metacognitive skill was related to aspects of workplace success in both dyslexics and controls. Dyslexics had less metacognitive self-understanding than controls, but other aspects of metacognition were similar. Study 3 found no clear relationship between executive function and workplace success, but dyslexics performed less well than controls in aspects of working memory. Conclusion: Dyslexic participants attained comparable levels of workplace success despite deficits in working memory processes and self-understanding, and weaker literacy skills. However similar workplace success could not be attributed to compensatory use of metacognitive skills by dyslexics because dyslexics did not have greater metacognitive skill. Possible explanations and recommendations for further research are discussed.

It is the intention of the current study to suggest a trajectory for the advancement of prospective mathematics teachers’ use of meta-cognitive skills in solving mathematics-based programming problems with Scratch. Scratch is a code-based program that can be utilized in teaching various disciplines, especially geometry and its rich range of subjects such as the topic of symmetry. The present study suggests that advancing prospective teachers’ meta-cognitive skills in the Scratch environment could be done through problem solving and negotiations. The present paper analyzed the implementation of the trajectory by two pedagogic supervisors who attempted, in the frame of one-year preparation (2018–2019), to educate 18 prospective teachers to use meta-cognitive skills in mathematics-based programming activities, where this attempt was based on problem solving and negotiation processes. Data were collected through videoing and recording the learning sessions of the prospective teachers and was analyzed using deductive and inductive constant comparison methods. The deductive analysis utilized theoretical models of meta-cognitive processes and negotiation processes. The research results indicated that the negotiation processes supported the development of the prospective teachers’ meta-cognitive processes in solving mathematics-based programming problems with Scratch.

The problem solving abilities of students in learning mathematics are still not well trained, and there are varying degrees of difficulty experienced by students in learning mathematics. Factors that influence the ability to solve problems include interest in learning. This study aims to analyze the ability of problem solving based on students' interest in learning mathematics. This type of research is a descriptive qualitative study, which was conducted at Babussalam Pekanbaru High School with research subjects coming from Class X MIPA 1 selected based on the level of problem solving skills and student interest in learning. Problem solving abilities consist of categories: high, medium, low. Learning interest is categorized as positive and negative interests. Data collection techniques are written tests and non-tests in the form of questionnaire interest in learning and interviews. Based on the research results, the problem solving ability of high category students with positive learning interest is able to meet all indicators of problem solving ability. The problem solving ability of the medium category students with positive learning interest is able to meet the indicators of planning for solving, solving problems, and checking. The problem solving ability of low category students with positive learning interest is only able to meet the indicators of planning a solution, and solving a problem. The ability of problem solving students in the moderate category with negative learning interest is able to meet the indicators of planning for solving, solving problems, and checking.

The study aimed to reveal the level of English language ‎teachers' use of metacognitive skills while teaching. The study ‎sample consisted of 141 teachers to whom the MAIT scale was ‎applied (Balcikanli, 2011). The results showed that the level of ‎teachers' use of metacognitive skills was 3.23. Regarding the ‎dimensions, the mean averages were distributed as follows: the ‎monitoring dimension had a low level mean of 2.39, the ‎evaluation dimension had an average mean of 3.22, and the ‎planning dimension had a high level mean of 3.80. The results ‎also revealed that there was no difference in the mean averages ‎of the English language teachers' ratings on the instrument as a ‎whole due to gender, that there were differences in the mean ‎averages of the English language teachers' ratings on the ‎instrument as a whole due to the years of experience and in ‎favor of those (from 10 years and more), and that there were no ‎differences on each dimension of the instrument due to the ‎study variables.‎ (Keywords: Metacognitive Skills, English Language Teachers, ‎Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation)‎

ABSTRACT. The authors investigated the development of metacognitive skill (MS) of 43 children from preschool to the 2nd grade (6-8 years of age) in a problem-solving situation. The children's skill to direct, guide, and monitor their performance in a play-like problem-solving context was evaluated in 3 experimental groups of preschool children with high, average, or low metacognitive knowledge (MK). The development of MS was further compared with the development of general MK of the same children. The results showed that children with initially high MK had better MS in problem-solving tasks during the 1st 2 school years, whereas the self-guided behavior of children with lower MK resembled more the type of adult-dependent behavior typical of young children as late as the 2nd grade. However, there was no clear developmental relationship between MK and MS. A number of cases from the data are described to illustrate individual differences.

The purpose of our study was to explore students’ use of metacognitive skills during problem posing activities. This qualitative research explored the metacognitive skill of 21 secondary school students in a rural Anambas Indonesia while posing individually mathematical problems. Thinking-Aloud protocol was conducted during the problem posing activities. The audio recordings of Thinking-Aloud protocol for the students provided the data to address this question. Analysis of their written work and Thinking-Aloud protocols provided evidence of how students used metacognitive skills while problem posing and revealed different levels of these skills. Analyses of the Thinking-Aloud protocol also provided evidence for the metacognitive skills associated with planning, monitoring, and evaluation. The students used planning and monitoring skills equally. Furthermore, different levels of sophistication of planning were apparent. Students who combined these metacognitive skills demonstrated a higher level of monitoring. However, from our analyses that there was considerable overlap in the metacognitive activities associated with monitoring and evaluation.

The objectives of this study are (1) to test the mathematical problem solving ability with RME learning model assisted by Jarimatika better than the mathematical problem solving ability with conventional learning, (2) to test the mathematical problem solving ability with RME model assisted by Jarimatika better than the mathematical problem solving ability with conventional learning, (3) to test the improvement of mathematical problem solving ability with RME model assisted by Jarimatika better than the improvement of mathematical problem solving ability with conventional learning. This research is a pure experimental research. The design was pre test post test control group design. The population was fifth grade students at Jatilawang 1 State Elementary School and Kemantran 1 and 2 State Elementary School. While the sample was first grade Jatilawang 1 State Elementary School as the experimental class and Kemantran 1 State Elementary School as the control class. Data collection techniques in this study were documentation and tests. The data analysis used in this research (1) mathematical problem solving ability completeness test (one sample t test) and classical completeness test, (2) mathematical problem solving ability average difference test (independent t test), and two proportion difference test, (3) mathematical problem solving ability improvement test. The results of this study are (1) The problem solving ability of students with the RME model assisted by teaching materials exceeds 70, and the proportion of students with the RME model assisted by teaching materials reaches the completion of problem solving ability exceeds 80%. (2) The problem solving ability of students with RME model assisted by teaching materials is better than the problem solving ability of students with conventional learning, and the proportion of students with RME model assisted by teaching materials achieving completeness of problem solving ability is more than or equal to students with conventional learning, (3) the improvement of students' problem solving ability with RME assisted by teaching materials is better than the improvement of students' problem solving ability with conventional learning, (4) the influence of curiousity on problem solving ability is 90%. The implication of this research is that the use of the RME model assisted by Jarimatics can develop problem solving abilities, problem solving abilities with the RME model assisted by Jarimatics are better than conventional models.

Metacognitive skills can improve with appropriate instruction, however, educators may not be familiar with these methods of teaching. This study explores what factors influenced students to implement metacognitive skills and how students perceived the purposefully designed metacognitive activity in a high school classroom in South Korea. 252 students were involved in the study and a survey and focus group interviews were employed for the data collection. A linear regression analysis revealed that perceived task values predicted the use of metacognitive skills. A thematic analysis of the interviews showed the possibility of transferring the metacognitive skills to new contexts, and the benefits of student-teacher interactions in developing their metacognitive skills. Implications of the results for research and the instructional design of the metacognitive activities are discussed.

This study aims to improve problem solving skills by using problem solving methods of class VI students of Koto Alam 07 State Elementary School, Palembayan District, Agam Regency. The type of research used is Classroom Action Research. The population in this study were students of class VI of SD Negeri 07 Koto Alam, Palembayan Subdistrict, Agam Regency, who were enrolled in the first semester of the 2017/2018 school year. Class VI students number 34 people, consisting of 12 men and 22 women. This study focused on the average score of problem solving abilities of students in cycles I and II. The following data presents the results of the test: The problem solving ability of students in cycle 1 is the percentage of the classic average obtained from the test of 56%. Looking at the circumstances that occur as well as the classical average, the average percentage of students' problem solving abilities in cycle 1 is only 61%, so this is far below the indicator of success set at 75%. In cycle II the problem solving ability of students from the test with an average score of 78%.

The background of this research problem is the lack of students' ability to associate the concepts they learn with the problems that exist in their environment. In addition to the lack of maximum problem solving abilities of students who, if seen from the causal elements, one of them is the inappropriate learning method applied by the teacher. The problem discussed in this study is about students' problem solving abilities in the function subject in class VIII Al-Junaidiyah Mandailing Natal District. How is the problem solving ability of students in the function subject in class VIII Al-Junaidiyah Mandailing Natal District ?. Problem solving ability is one of the mathematical abilities that can facilitate students in solving problems in mathematics. This study aims to find out how students' problem solving abilities when faced with math problems students VIII Al-Junaidiyah Mandailing Natal District. This research is a qualitative research with descriptive approach method. The research subjects were class VIII Al-Junaidiyah Mandailing Natal District as many as 25 students. To obtain this research data using interview instruments and tests. Data analysis used is tabulation with the application of descriptive data. Based on the results of the study it can be concluded that the problem solving abilities of students on the subject of functions in expressing functions in arrow diagrams are 34.11%, problem solving abilities in expressing functions in cartesius diagrams21.96%, and problem solving abilities in expressing functions in sequential pairs 16.36%, then the problem solving ability in expressing a notation of a function consisting of 2 items, namely number 4 is 16.82% and question number 5 is 10.75%. The conclusions found in this study are the lack of student understanding in the concepts of function, which causes a low ability to solve the problem of class VIII students of Al-Junaidiyah, Mandailing Natal District.

Seeing the differences in the results of several previous studies on metacognitive abilities in problem solving, researchers are interested in examining students' metacognitive abilities in problem solving in terms of gender differences. This problem is important to study because it aims to determine the implementation of the metacognitive abilities of male and female students in problem solvingThe purpose of this study was to determine the metacognitive ability of male and female students in problem solving using TIMSS questions at SMP Al-Falah Pesanggrahan Jangkar for the 2020/2021 academic year. This type of research is descriptive qualitative. The subjects of this study were one male student and one female student from class VII SMP AL-Falah Pesanggrahan who had the same mathematical ability. Data collection techniques in this study were interviews, mathematical ability tests and TIMSS questions. Data analysis in this study was analyzed on each data collection technique. The results of data analysis showed that there was no difference in metacognitive ability in problem solving between male and female students. The metacognitive abilities of male and female students have been used well in problem solving. Both of them can explain their thinking process in every stage of problem solving.
 
 Keywords: Metacognition Ability, Problem solving, TIMSS questions, Mathematical Ability, Gender Difference.

Problem-solving skills related social-scientific issue in society’enviroment need to be owned by students. This capability can be trained by PBL (Problem Based Learning) model. The purpose of this research is to analyze problem solving abilities of students. The type of this research is quasi experiment with one group pretest-posttest design. Sample of the research is X grade students from SMA N 1 Semarang and SMA Ksatrian 1 Semarang. The result consisted of primary outcome in the form of capability, N-gain value and classical content mastering as well as secondary outcome covering the implementation of learning, teacher's response and student's response. Based on the result, the average of problem solving ability SMA N 1 Semarang increased from 70% to 79,5%, while SMA Ksatrian 1 Semarang increased from 59,5% to 73%. Completeness of classical learning SMA N 1 Semarang, class X MIPA 7, 97% and class X MIPA 9, 79%. The completeness of classical learning SMA Ksatrian 1 Semarang, class X MIPA 3, 80% and class X MIPA 5, 65%. N-gain value of SMA N 1 Semarang 0,553 and SMA Ksatrian 1 Semarang 0,433 in medium category. The conclusion of this research is the utilization of social issue with PBL model can improve problem solving ability on ecosystem’learning in SMA.

Objectives: To investigate the effect of interactive multimedia in gas ideal teaching on problem-solving ability performance of prospective teacher. Methods/Statistical Analysis: The method used is quasi experiment with pretest-posttest control design. A test of problem solving ability consisting of six essay questions. Sample were selected by random method (probability sampling). The experimental groups of 40 students was taught by interactive multimedia in gas ideal teaching while the control group of 40 students was taught by traditional method. Hypothesis testing is used by the t-tes. Finding: The finding of this study was the experimental classes that are taught with interactive multi-media in gas ideal learning get an average score of problem solving abilities is 80.50 and the control class taught with conventional learning obtains problem solving abilities with an average of 74.96. The data above showed that t count> t table (3,514> 1,667), that the problem-solving ability of students who learned physics using interactive multi-mediabased problem solving was better than of students who learned through conventional methods. In addition, in ideal gas learning based on interactive multimedia students conduct problem solving and physical symptom exercises shown by multi-media, so that they understand physics thoroughly and are skilled at performing problem-solving tasks. Multi-media helped them emphasize and engage actively in problem-solving process as it is related to real materials and real life situations which made it easier for them to remember. Application/Improvements: To improve this media, the involvement of students in problem-solving task and multi-media helps retention of students’ knowledge and motivates interest can be applied to other physical materials. Keywords: Ability, Ideal Gas, Improved, Interactive Multimedia, Problem-Solving, Teaching

This study aims to determine the effectiveness of STEM-PjBL learning in improving students' problem-solving abilities in alternative energy materials. This research was conducted in one of the high schools in the city of Bandung. Samples were obtained by rational sampling of 35 students in class X MIPA I (experimental class) and 35 students in class X MIPA II (control class). The method used is a quasi-experimental design with a non-equivalent control group design. Data collection technique is a description test in the form of pre-test and post-test. Based on data analysis it is known that the use of STEM-PjBL can improve students' problem solving skills (N-Gain = 0.65) in the experimental class compared to the control class (N)-Gain = 0.44). The t-test results with SPSS 22 with Sig. (2-value) less than 0.05 indicates that there is a significant difference in the increase in the problem solving ability of students in the experimental class and the control class. Based on these results, learning has a positive impact on students' problem solving abilities. STEM-PjBL learning can be used as an alternative teaching strategy at various school levels.

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of Modified Multi-component Cognitive Strategy Instruction on the metacognitive strategy knowledge used for the comprehension process of descriptive texts for stu- dents with mild mental retardation (MMR). Three students with MMR from inclusive classes participated in the study. The study was designed using a qualitative method. In order to collect data, students were interviewed via the metacognitive interview format before and after the application of the intervention, and content analysis was used to analyze the data. Results of the study indicated that there was a positive change in text comprehension related to the metacognitive knowledge of the students between pre and post instruction. Results were discussed and recommendations relating to the implementation, as well as additional studies, were presented.Key WordsMulti-component Cognitive Strategy Instruction, Metacognitive Knowledge, Reading Comprehension, Students with Mental Retardation, Text Comprehension.Text comprehension is a complex process in which different levels of cognitive and metacognitive skills like predicting, identifying main ideas, questioning, correlating information units, summarizing, organizing and evaluating performance during the comprehension process are used (Alexander & Jetton, 2000; Baker & Brown, 2002; Gersten, Fuchs, Williams, & Baker, 2001; Westby, 2004). Text comprehension depends on the reader's usage of before, during and after reading cognitive strategies and the metacognitive strategies that guide the self- monitoring of his/her comprehension to regulate the reading strategies according to his/her reading goals during this period (Alexander & Jetton, 2000; Baker & Brown, 2002).During the reading process, competent readers use cognitive strategies to comprehend the text (Duke, 2003; Pressley & Hilden, 2002). Studies of the competent readers' comprehension strategies via interviews show that these readers use a variety of cognitive strategies before, during and after reading (Pressley, 2002; Pressley & Afflerbach, 1995), as well as metacognitive strategies (Pressley & Gaskins, 2006). Some of these strategies can be listed as (a) setting a goal before reading (Pressley & Gaskins, 2006), (b) underlining important information units, note-taking and identifying the meaning of unknown words for during reading (Otero, 2002; Pressley & Gaskins, 2006; Westby, 2004), (c) reviewing, re-reading or re-examining the important parts of the text for comprehension, and self-questioning for after reading (Pressley, Symons, McGoldrick, & Snyder, 1995). On the other hand, it is stated that the readers with poor cognitive and metacognitive strategies (a) start to read without considering the content, (b) have problems with setting a reading goal, (c) cannot follow a systematic way about how to read, and (d) do not know what should be done when they don't comprehend the text (Cakiroglu, 2007; Gelen, 2003).Metacognitive ability refers to the ability to manage and control one's cognitive activities and evaluate whether or not they are performing them successfully (Gersten et al., 2001). Metacognition in reading comprehension is an individual's control and awareness on self-monitoring and self-regulating the cognitive skills for interpreting a text (Caron, 1997). There are three types of metacognitive knowledge (Paris, Lipson, & Wixson, 1983; Schunk, 2001). These are declarative knowledge, procedural knowledge and conditional knowledge. Declarative knowledge addresses the stable knowledge of a person about his/her task structure and goals. Procedural knowledge is about how the strategies are performed. On the other hand, conditional knowledge includes the application and adaptation of strategies to accommodate various conditions (Jacops & Paris, 1987; Paris et al., 1983). During the reading process, readers who don't have any metacognitive knowledge about strategies cannot use appropriate comprehension strategies (Bakes & Brown, 1984) or manage the comprehension process (DeBoy, 1991; Dermitzaki, Andreou, & Paraskeva, 2008; Short, 1992). …