Skip to main content
Springer Nature Link
Log in

Improving learning process in genetics classroom by using metacognitive strategy

  • Published:
Asia Pacific Education Review Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Strategies applied in this study consisted of a metacognitive strategy combined with cooperative learning (MSCL) and one without cooperative learning (MS). Both strategies used the self-understanding and evaluation sheet (SUES). The aims of this study were to investigate the effect of MSCL and MS on the quality of the learning process in genetics classroom. High- and low-ability students were also compared with regard to the effect of both strategies on their academic performance. Four learning process variables were examined: metacognitive skills, collaborative skills, genetics knowledge, and academic achievement. A quasi-experimental research design was used to compare the MSCL (n = 30) and MS (n = 30) groups in which each group consisted of low (n = 15)-ability and high (n = 15)-ability students. Results showed that MSCL group portrayed higher collaborative skills but lower metacognitive skills than MS group. However, both groups had no influences on other variables: genetics knowledge and academic achievements. In addition, high-ability students performed higher metacognitive skills, genetics knowledge, and academic achievements than low-ability students, whereas both of them showed relatively similar collaborative skills. As a suggestion, this study recommends that metacognitive strategy can be done in collaborative designs by using SUES as the authentic assessment.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
€32.70 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price includes VAT (Finland)

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Anderson, H., Coltman, P., Page, C., & Whitebread, D. (2003). Developing independent learning in children aged 3–5. Paper presented at the European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction 10th Biennial Conference, Padova.

  • Andrews, T. M., Price, R. M., Mead, L. S., McElhinny, T. L., Thanukos, A., Perez, K. E., Herreid, C. F., … Lemons, P. P. (2012). Biology undergraduates’ misconceptions about genetic drift. Life Sciences Education, 11, 248–259.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Biggs, A., Daniel, L., & Ortleb, E. (1997). Life science: Teacher wraparound edition. New York: Glencoe McGraw Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, A., & Palincsar, A. (1986). Technical Report No. 372: Guided cooperative learning and individual knowledge acquisition. Washington, DC: US Department of Education.

  • Cook, E., Kennedy, E., & McGuire, S. Y. (2013). Effect of teaching metacognitive learning strategies on performance in general chemistry courses. Journal of Chemical Education, 90(8), 961–967.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DiFrancesca, D., Nietfield, J. L., & Cao, L. (2016). A comparison of high and low achieving students on self-regulated learning variables. Learning and Individual Differences, 45, 228–236.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dougherty, M. J., Pleasants, C., Solow, L., Wong, A., & Zhang, H. (2011). A comprehensive analysis of high school genetics standards: Are states keeping pace with modern genetics? Life Sciences Education, 10, 318–327.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eldar, O., Eylon, B., & Ronen, M. (2011). A metacognitive teaching strategy for preservice teachers: Collaborative diagnosis of conceptual understanding in science. In A. Zohar & Y. J. Dori (Eds.), Metacognition in science education: Trends in current research: Contemporary trends and issues in science education. New York: Springer

    Google Scholar 

  • Fraenkel, J., Wallen, N., & Hyun, H. (2012). How to design and evaluate research in education (pp. 275–277). New York: McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hartman, H. H., & Sternberg, R. J. (1993). A Broad BACEIS for improving thinking. Instructional Science, 21, 401–425.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hughes, J. N., Zhang, D., & Hill, C. R. (2006). Peer assessments of normative and individual teacher–student support predict social acceptance and engagement among low-achieving children. Journal of School Psychology, 43, 447–463.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jayapraba, G., & Kanmani, M. (2014). Effect of metacognitive strategy on jigsaw cooperative learning method to enhance biology achievement. The Online Journal of New Horizons in Education, 4(2), 47–57.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, D. W., & Johnson, R. T. (2002). Learning together and alone: overview and meta-analysis. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 22(1), 95–105.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, D. W., & Johnson, R. T. (2009). An educational psychology success story: Social interdependence theory and cooperative learning. Educational Researcher, 38(5), 365–379.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jolliffe, W. (2007). Cooperative learning in the classroom: Putting it into practice (pp. 79–93). London: Paul Chapman Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kirschner, F., Paas, F., & Kirschner, P. A. (2009a). A cognitive load approach to collaborative learning: United brains for complex tasks. Education Psychology, 21, 31–42. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-008-9095-2.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kirschner, F., Paas, F., & Kirschner, P. A. (2009b). Individual and group-based learning from complex cognitive tasks: Effects on retention and transfer efficiency. Computers in Human Behavior, 25, 306–314.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Koles, P. G., Stolfi, A., Borges, N. J., Nelson, S., & Parmelee, D. X. (2010). The impact of team-based learning on medical students’ academic performance. Academic Medicine, 85(11), 1739–1745.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kramarski, B., & Mevarech, Z. R. (2003). Enhancing mathematical reasoning in the classroom: The effects of cooperative learning and metacognitive training. American Educational Research Journal, 40(1), 281–310.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Listiana, L., Susilo, H., Suwono, H., & Suarsini, E. (2016). Contributions of metacognitive skills toward students’ cognitive abilities of biology through the implementation of group investigation combined with think talk write (GITTW) strategy. Proceeding of International Conference on Teacher Training and Education (ICTTE), 1(1), 411–418.

    Google Scholar 

  • Luo, W., Paris, S. G., Hogan, D., & Luo, Z. (2011). Do performance goals promote learning? A pattern analysis of Singapore students’ achievement goals. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 36, 165–176.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Magno, C. (2010). The role of metacognitive skills in developing critical thinking. Metacognition Learning, 5, 137–156. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11409-010-9054-4.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pifarre, M., & Cobos, R. (2010). Promoting metacognitive skills through peer scaffolding in a CSCL environment. Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 5, 237–254. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11412-010-9084-6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pintrich, P. R. (2002). The role of metacognitive knowledge in learning, teaching, and assessing. Theory into Practice, 41(4), 219–225.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raudenbush, S. W., Rowan, B., & Cheong, Y. F. (1993). Higher order instructional goals in secondary schools: Class, teacher, and school influences. American Educational Research Journal, 30(3), 523–553.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rokhman, F., Hum, M., Syaifudin, A., & Yuliati (2014). Character education for golden generation 2045 (National Character Building for Indonesian Golden Years). Procedia: Social and Behavioral Sciences, 141, 1161–1165.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sandi-Urena, S., Cooper, M. M., & Stevens, R. H. (2011). Enhancement of metacognition use and awareness by means of a collaborative intervention. International Journal of Science Education, 33(3), 323–340.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sart, G. (2014). The effects of the development of metacognition on project-based learning. Procedia: Social and Behavioral Sciences, 152, 131–136.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schraw, G. (1998). Promoting general metacognitive awareness. Instructional Science, 26, 113–125.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schraw, G. (2009). A conceptual analysis of five measures of metacognitive monitoring. Metacognition Learning, 4, 33–45. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11409-008-9031-3.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schraw, G., Crippen, K. J., & Hartley, K. (2006). Promoting self-regulation in science education: Metacognition as part of a broader perspective on learning. Research in Science Education, 36, 111–139.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Seraphin, K. D., Philippoff, J., Kaupp, L., & Vallin, L. M. (2012). Metacognition as means to increase the effectiveness of inquiry-based science education. Science Education International, 23(4), 366–382.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shachar, H. (2003). Who gains what from co-operative learning: An overview of eight studies. In R. M. Gillies & A. F. Ashman (Eds.), Cooperative learning: The social and intellectual outcomes of learning in groups (pp. 113–156). New York: Routledge Falmer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shaw, K. R. M., Horrne, K. V., Zhang, H., & Boughman, J. (2008). Essay contest reveals misconceptions of high school students in genetics content. Genetics, 178, 1157–1168.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, M. K., & Knight, J. K. (2012). Using the genetics concept assessment to document persistent conceptual difficulties in undergraduate genetics courses. Genetics, 191, 21–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sontag, C., & Stoeger, H. (2015). Can highly intelligent and high-achieving students benefit from training in self-regulated learning in a regular classroom context? Learning and Individual Differences, 41, 43–53.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sorgo, A., Usak, M., Kubiatko, M., Fancovicova, J., Prokop, P., Puhek, M., Skoda, J., & Bahar, M. (2014). A cross-cultural study on freshmen’s knowledge of genetics, evolution, and the nature of science. Journal of Baltic Science Education, 13(1), 6–18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Susantini, E. (2009a). Pengaruh Kemampuan Siswa terhadap Perolehan Kognitif dan Metakognitif pada Pembelajaran Biologi [Effect of students’ academic performance on acquired cognition and metacognition in biology classroom]. Berkala Penelitian Hayati Special Issue, 3E, 31–35.

    Google Scholar 

  • Susantini, E. (2009b). The development of biology material resources by metacognitive strategy. Jurnal Ilmu Pendidikan, 16(2), 88–93.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thiagarajan, S., Semmel, D. S., & Semmel, M. I. (1974). Instructional development for training teachers of expectional children. Minneapolis, Minnesota: leadership training institute/special education, University of Minnesota.

  • Tsay, M., & Brady, M. (2010). A case study of cooperative learning and communication pedagogy: Does working in teams make a difference? Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 10(2), 78–89.

    Google Scholar 

  • Warburton, E., & Torff, B. (2005). The effect of perceived learner advantages on teachers’ beliefs about critical-thinking activities. Journal of Teacher Education, 56, 24–33.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • White, B., Frederiksen, J., & Collins, A. (2009). The interplay of scientific inquiry and metacognition: More than a marriage of convenience. In D. J. Hacker, J. Dunlosky & A. C. Graesser (Eds.), Handbook of metacognition in education (pp. 173–175). New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • William, M., Debarger, A. H., Montgomery, B. L., Zhou, X., & Tate, E. (2012). Exploring middle school students’ conceptions of the relationship between genetic inheritance and cell division. Science Education, 96(1), 78–103.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zakaria, E., Chin, L. C., & Daud, Y. (2010). The effects of cooperative learning on students’ mathematics achievement and attitude towards mathematics. Journal of Social Sciences, 6(2), 272–275.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zohar, A., & David, A. B. (2008). Explicit teaching of meta-strategic knowledge in authentic classroom situations. Metacognition Learning, 3, 59–82.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zohar, A., & Peled, B. (2008). The effects of explicit teaching of meta-strategic knowledge on low- and high-achieving students. Learning and Instruction, 18, 337–353.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zohar, A., Vaaknin, E., & Degani, A. (2001). Teachers’ beliefs about low-achieving students and higher order thinking. Teaching and Teachers’ Education, 17, 469–485.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We also gratefully acknowledged Dra. Ika Mustikawati, M.Pd. and students of Senior High School 6 Surabaya for their help in implementing the metacognitive strategy described in this article.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Jalan Ketintang, Surabaya, East Java, 60231, Indonesia

    Endang Susantini

  2. Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science, Brawijaya University, Jalan Veteran, Malang, 65145, Indonesia

    Sutiman Bambang Sumitro

  3. Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science, State University of Malang, Jalan Semarang, Malang, 65145, Indonesia

    Aloysius Duran Corebima & Herawati Susilo

Authors
  1. Endang Susantini
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Sutiman Bambang Sumitro
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Aloysius Duran Corebima
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Herawati Susilo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Endang Susantini.

Electronic supplementary material

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Susantini, E., Sumitro, S.B., Corebima, A.D. et al. Improving learning process in genetics classroom by using metacognitive strategy. Asia Pacific Educ. Rev. 19, 401–411 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12564-018-9540-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12564-018-9540-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation