UNDERSTANDING METACOGNITIVE SKILLS THROUGH SELF-EFFICACY AND PERSONALITY TRAITS AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS

Abstract

Effective learning and academic self-regulation are largely dependent on metacognitive skills, but there are significant differences in students' abilities to control cognitive processes. This difference may be explained by motivational beliefs and personality traits. The study adopted a quantitative cross-sectional design and involved 360 college students from both public and private institutions. Standardized self-report measures were used to test the academic self-efficacy, Big Five personality traits, and metacognitive skills. Correlation and multiple regression analyses were performed to analyze the data. The metacognitive skills were greatly and positively predicted by academic self-efficacy. Extraversion and openness to experience were positively related to metacognitive skills, whereas neuroticism was negatively related to them. There was no significant predictor of conscientiousness and agreeableness. The personality traits and the metacognitive skills were partially mediated by self-efficacy.

The results not only revealed a connection between motivational and dispositional factors but also showed that these factors play a joint role in metacognitive development and support interventions that increase self-efficacy to facilitate self-regulated learning.