THE NATURE OF METACOGNITIVE LANGUAGE AND NETWORKING: DEVELOPMENT OF THE THEORY OF METACOGNITIVE LOCALE

Theoretical developments in education research have established, almost parallel, two strands of theories: theories of networks (e.g., gestalt theory, social network analysis and micro-triad analysis) which explain social interaction among students and theories about meta-cognitive function (e.g. metamemory, metacognition and metarepresentational) which explain the inner workings of the mind. This split between theories (one form focusing on networks and the other on meta-cognition) leaves little room for advancing our understanding of metacognition as a social construct since no theory exists for explaining the relationship between networks and metacognition. In this paper, the author explore four propositions derived from metacognition research to propose a local theory. The four propositions are: (1) metacognitive knowledge, (2) regulation, (3) metacognitive language and (4) networking as constructs of this theory. In particular, the theory of metacognitive locale explains the nature of metacognitive language and metacognitive networks as contextualized in a mathematics education methodology course. Video recordings of lesson study experiences of two groups of final year students were analyzed through social network analysis to visualize their social interaction, and coded inductively to identify specific phrases through which they express their thinking. The results show constructs of metacognition, metacognitive language and metacognitive networking emerge on a social, interpersonal and social-metacognitive stratum which brings the two strands of theories together, thereby narrowing theoretical divide.