Chapter 7, page 124
CORE THEORETICAL CONCEPTS: COGNITIVE STRATEGIES, METACOGNITION, AND
SELF-REGULATIONIn this section, we will examine three core concepts: cognitive strategies, metacognition, and self-
regulation. These three interrelated concepts will provide the framework for the specific strategies we will
discuss in the remainder of the chapter. To introduce some of the strategies we will be discussing, we will
begin with a brief scenario of a university student —Gisela—who is proficient at studying and who
employs a variety of effective cognitive strategies.
Gisela, a proficient student, has a one-page paper due tomorrow on whether schools should
administer intelligence tests. Let’s look at some of the strategies that Gisela employs as she plans her study
time and writes her paper. It is 6:00 p.m., and Gisela has just finished dinner, following her jazz band
rehearsal. She estimates that she needs to spend 3 hours on two other classes and that she can allot three
hours to write her paper. By planning her time ahead in this way, she has engaged in effective time
management. She realizes that she does not recall all the main points she learned about intelligence testing;
this is an instance of monitoring—the strategy of checking how well she understands the ideas she is
learning. Consequently, she decides to review the parts of the text that she has forgotten and to look up
some additional material on the Internet; these are instances of repair strategies—strategies used to fill
gaps in understanding.
After reviewing relevant material, Gisela plans her paper. To help her achieve her overall goal of
writing the paper Gisela breaks down the process of writing the paper into a series of subgoals. As she
achieves each subgoal, she will be one step closer to completing her paper. She sets the subgoals of
brainstorming ideas, writing a first draft, writing a second draft, and proofreading her paper. She decides to
spend 40 minutes brainstorming and creating a structure for her paper, and 50 minutes writing and revising
the paper. Thus, she employs the strategies of planning and goal setting. As she reviews the main points,
Gisela realizes that she doesn’t understand several points (she is again monitoring), so she rereads some
material she found on the Internet (again using a repair strategy). When she finds her attention waning, she
reminds herself that she needs to stay focused so that she can go to bed as soon as possible (this is an
example of the strategy of self-motivation). After reading and reflecting on the arguments for and against
intelligence tests, she jots down some notes on each side of the question (she thus employs the strategy of
considering arguments on both sides of a question). She knows that she will reach a better conclusion if
she doesn’t make up her mind until she’s had a chance to weigh the evidence on both sides (this is an
instance of using the strategy of fair-minded argument evaluation).
At this point, Gisela is a little ahead of schedule, and she is satisfied with her progress (by evaluating
how well she is doing, she is using the strategy of self-evaluation). Therefore, she takes a brief break (to
maintain interest and focus). When she returns to her computer, she begins to write a paper with three
arguments on her side and briefly rebuts the best two arguments on the other side. As she begins writing,
she discovers halfway through that there is a more compelling way to frame her first argument, so she
starts over (thus making a major revision of her short paper). Her second draft goes more smoothly.
Although she would like to work on it a little more, she thinks that the quality is good (another instance of
self-evaluation). Because she must get to work on her other classes, she quickly reads the paper aloud to
detect any errors and prints out her paper.
This description helps illustrate several crucial points about effective studying:
Ɣ Gisela is effectively managing her own study processes. No one is telling her what to do. She is
formulating effective plans and carrying them out on her own. This is referred to as self-regulation of
learning (Schunk & Zimmerman, 2001; Winne, 2005).
Ɣ Central to her self-regulation processes, Gisela (a) sets her own goals and subgoals, (b) monitors her
progress, (c) evaluates whether she is achieving her goals, and (d) makes adjustments when there are
discrepancies between her goals and what she has accomplished. For example, she makes major
revisions to her paper when she realizes that she has not yet written a paper up to the standards she has
set.