Metacognitive Strategies as a Factor of Students’ High Academic Performance in the Process of Distance Foreign Language Learning at University

Distance learning is characterised with autonomy that is why students’ ability to self-regulate their learning becomes vital. Metacognitive self-regulation is a primary prerequisite for students’ academic success. It identifies a modern highly qualified specialist able to adjust his knowledge to any unconventional problem. This study is aimed at analysing the impact of distance learning on student’s metacognitive self-regulation in the process of studying a foreign language at a university. The research sample consisted of four first-year students’ academic groups (N 86) from Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University. To analyse the impact of distance learning on student’s metacognitive self-regulation we used a scale “Cognitive and Metacognitive Strategies: Metacognitive Self-Regulation” of the MSLQ Questionnaire. The Paired sample T-test revealed no statistically significant difference between the values Mean 1 (after a semester of on-campus teaching) and Mean 2 (after a semester of online teaching). However, the results demonstrate that the participants of the study became more aware of the strategies they use, improved some self-study skills and the ability to plan and organize the learning process. We can conclude that distance learning had a positive effect on the way students planned and evaluated their educational activities.

metacognitive knowledge, metacognitive (metacognition) self-regulation, metacognitive strategies, distance learning, higher education, teaching foreign languages, high academic performance

1. Антипенко О. Е. Метакогнитивные стратегии как предиктор качества профессиональной подготовки студентов // Научные труды Республиканского института высшей школы. 2017. № 17-3. С. 9-22.

2. Flavell J. H. Metacognitive aspects of problem solving // The nature of intelligence / ed. by L. B. Resnick. Hillsdale, N. Y.: Erlbaum, 1976. P. 231.

3. Беленкова Ю. С. Формирование метакогнитивных стратегий студентов в процессе обучения иностранному языку // Вестник Самарского государственного технического университета. Серия: Психолого-педагогические науки. 2014. С. 36-37.

4. Dickinson L. Self-instruction in Language Learning. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1987. 200 p.

5. Kassab S. E., Al-Shafei A. I., Salem A. H., Otoom S. Relationships between the quality of blended learning experience, self-regulated learning, and academic achievement of medical students: a path analysis // Advances in medical education and practice. 2015. Vol. 1. No. 6. P. 27-34. DOI: 10.2147/AMEP.S75830

6. Macarthur V., Conlan O. Modeling higher-order cognitive skills in technology enhanced distance learning // 4th International Conference on Distance Learning and Education. IEEE: San Juan, USA, 2010.

7. Cho M. H., Shen D. Self-regulation in online learning // Distance education. 2013. Vol. 34. No. 3. P. 290-301. DOI: 10.1080/01587919.2013.835770

8. Odinokaya M., Krepkaia T., Karpovich I., Ivanova T. Self-Regulation as a Basic Element of the Professional Culture of Engineers // Education Sciences. 2019. Vol. 9. No. 3. P. 200. DOI: 10.3390/educsci9030200

9. Liu S. Supporting self-regulated learning with moodle forums // Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL). 2013. Vol. 2. P. 303-304.

10. Pintrich Paul R., Smith David A. F., Garcia Teresa, McKeachie Wilbert J. A Manual for the Use of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ). Ann Arbor, Michigan: National Center for Research to Improve Postsecondary Teaching and Learning, 1991. 76 p.

11. Pintrich P. R. A Conceptual Framework for Assessing Motivation and Self-Regulated Learning in College Students // Educational Psychology Review. 2004. Vol. 16. No. 4. P. 385-407. DOI: 10.1007/s10648-004-0006-x

12. Olivari M. G., Bonanomi A., Gatti E., Confalonieri E. Psychometric properties of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) among Italian high school students // 14th European Congress of Psychology. Milan: Universita Catolica del Sacre Cuore, 2015.

13. Stoffa Rosa, Kush Joseph C., Heo Misook. Using the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire and the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning in Assessing Motivation and Learning Strategies of Generation 1.5 Korean Immigrant Students // Education Research International. 2010. Vol. 2011. P. 1-8. DOI: 10.1155/2011/491276

14. Truzoli R., Viganò C., Galmozzi P. G., Reed P. Problematic internet use and study motivation in higher education // Journal of Computer Assisted Learning. 2019. Vol. 36. No. 4. P. 1-7. DOI: 10.1111/jcal.12414

15. Kumar Vijay, Bhalla Jyoti. Validation of motivated strategies for learning questionnaire (MSLQ) in Indian context // International Journal of Future Generation Communication and Networking. 2020. Vol. 13. No. 2. P. 507-517.

16. Katz Yaacov J. Attitudes affecting college students’ preferences for distance learning // Journal of Computer Assisted Learning. 2002. Vol. 18. P. 2-9. DOI: 10.1046/j.0266-4909.2001.00202.x

17. Ekawati A. D., Sugandi L., Kusumastuti D. L. Blended learning in higher education: Does gender influence the student satisfaction on blended learning? // Proceedings to the 2017 International Conference on Information Management and Technology (ICIMTech). IEEE: Yogyakarta, Indonesia, 2017. P. 160-164.

18. Javorcik Tomas. PLE-based instruction concept // AIP Conference Proceedings. 2017. Vol. 1906. No. 1. P. 080012. DOI: 10.1063/1.5012357

19. Emanuel A., Gelche N. Distance Learning: A Viable Option. In Quality Education // Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals / eds. W. Leal Filho, A. M. Azul, L. Brandli, P. G. Özuyar, T. Wall. Cham: Springer, 2020. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-95870-5_16

20. Markova T., Glazkova I., Zaborova E. Quality Issues of Online Distance Learning // Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences. 2017. Vol. 237. P. 685-691. DOI: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2017.02.043и22

21. Barak M., Hussein-Farraj R., Dori Y. J. On-campus or online: examining self-regulation and cognitive transfer skills in different learning settings // International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education. 2016. Vol. 13. P. 35. DOI: 10.1186/s41239-016-0035-9

22. Salmon G. E-tivities: The Key to Active Online Learning. New York: Taylor & Francis, 2013. 214 p.

23. Keengwe J., Maxfield M. B. Advancing Higher Education with Mobile Learning Technologies: Cases, Trends, and Inquiry-Based Methods. Hershey, PA, USA: IGI Global, 2015. 364 p. DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-6284-1.

24. Babi S., Krei M., Kucel K. E-education 2.0: Students’ digital identity and online learn-ing activities // Procs. of the 37th Intl. Convention on Information and Communication Technology, Electronics and Microelectronics (MIPRO). IEEE: Opatija, Croatia, 2014. P. 756-761. DOI: 10.1109/MIPRO.2014.6859666