Scaffolding students’ use of metacognitive activities using discipline- and topic-specific reflective prompts

To become proficient problem solvers, science and engineering students have to acquire the skill of self-regulating their problem-solving processes, a skill supported by their metacognitive abilities. The Disciplinary Learning Companion (DLC) is an online tool designed to scaffold students’ use of metacognitive activities through discipline-specific and even topic-specific reflective prompts. Our research focuses on the effectiveness of these reflective prompts in fostering metacognitive abilities. A prior study demonstrated a positive relationship between students’ interaction with the DLC and their academic achievement. The current study investigates whether an increase in metacognitive abilities can partially explain this relationship. To this end, we study the relationship between students’ interaction with the DLC and their strategic approach to solving an exam problem, using the latter as an indicator for metacognitive abilities. Additionally, since students’ prior metacognitive abilities may influence this relationship, we investigate how the results are affected by students’ prior abilities. Our findings indicate that, compared to students who had minimal or no interaction with the DLC, those who engaged more frequently with the DLC exhibited a more strategic approach to solving an exam problem. Notably, this effect was particularly pronounced among students who interacted with the DLC’s reflection module that focused on the physics topic relevant to the specific exam question. These results persist when we control for students’ prior metacognitive abilities. In conclusion, students’ improvement in academic achievement can be attributed to a combination of enhanced conceptual understanding of the particular physics topic and an improved strategic approach to problem solving.