Development and validation of an instrument to evaluate the use of metacognitive strategies by university students

• Grant number: 24/09592-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: January 01, 2025
• End date: February 28, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology - Fundamentals and Assessments in Psychology
• Principal Investigator: Patrícia Waltz Schelini
• Grantee: Laura Andrelynne Durans Duarte
• Host Institution: Centro de Educação e Ciências Humanas (CECH). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Metacognition refers to an individual's knowledge about their own cognitive processes, and the subsequent ability to consciously adjust them with the aim of enhancing their learning and problem-solving process. Metacognitive strategies are one of the components of metacognition, being defined as practices adopted in order to monitor progress in carrying out a task. To evaluate these strategies, the psychological field lacks adequate psychometric instruments with good psychometric properties. Based on the existing gap in this field, this research aims to develop a new psychometric instrument aimed at investigating the use of metacognitive strategies and verifying their psychometric properties. To achieve this goal, items will be created based on Flavells theory of Metacognition, and on existing literature on the construct. Evidence of content validity will be obtained through expert analysis, evidence of internal structure from exploratory factor analysis, and by relationship with external variables from correlation with similar instruments. Reliability analysis will also be carried out for internal consistency. At the end of the research, the aim is to obtain an instrument with good psychometric evidence of validity and precision, suitable for measuring metacognitive strategies in the university target audience.