Metacognition and Student Learning
Background
Research has shown that developing metacognition (thinking about thinking) is an important part of student learning. It brings awareness to thinking and increases student performance, control over their learning, and retention of / transfer of learning.
The Warren Writing Program scaffolds student metacognition through their alternative grading strategy (labor-based collaborative grading), which places students in the drivers seat of their learning and assesses them based on their self-assigned learning goals.
Research Project
I designed a multi-method, longitudinal study to assess whether collaborative grading was truly improving student metacognition and success.
Research Questions
1. Does collaborative grading improve student metacognition in their general education writing courses?
2. Does metacognition indeed improve student learning and success in their future university writing?
Methods
– Surveys
– Focus groups
– Qualitative writing sample analysis
– Grade distribution analysis
Tools
– Qualtrics
– Tableau
– Python
– Thematic Coding
Results
We notice student metacognition improving in the collaborative grading system, however, we are also seeing an increase in Ds assigned post-collaborative grading.
This is an ongoing project. The results above are descriptive and not yet conclusive.
Action
This project has resulted in
(1) interdepartmental curriculum conversations with the instructors of writing-intensive classes after WCWP &
(2) intradepartmental deliberation on increasing rigor in collaborative grading.
I have also initiated a cross-departmental panel discussion (upcoming Feb 2026) to discuss tensions and opportunities between metacognition in writing pedagogy, collaborative grading, and AI.
Next >>