THE COMPARISON BETWEEN THE COGNITIVE AND METACOGNITIVE STRATEGIES USED BY 8TH GRADE STUDENTS TO SOLVE MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS ON “PHOTOSYNTHESIS AND RESPIRATION”

Emine Hatun Diken

Abstract


The primary aim of this paper is to identify the cognitive and metacognitive strategies used by 8th grade students for solving multiple-choice questions on “Photosynthesis and Respiration” which is among the main subjects of Biology and to compare these strategies according to the type of the school (public school- private school), the level overall grade point averages and the status of answering questions correctly or incorrectly. The study was designed as a qualitative case study. The participants of the study included 8 eighth-grade students in total, who were studying in a private, and in a public school located in the province of Kars. The students who participated in the study were asked to answer the multiple-choice questions on “Photosynthesis and Respiration” during thinking-aloud sessions. To identify whether the strategies used by students in the problem-solving process were cognitive or metacognitive, semi-structured interviews focused on students’ purposes to use cognitive and metacognitive strategies were conducted with students directly after they solve each multiple-choice question. The data collected from the observation records of the processes of multiple-choice question solving, and semi-structured interviews were analysed. The studied data were analysed. The results of the study revealed that 8th grade students who were studying in a private school, whose overall grade point averages was at “Very Good” level, and who answered the multiple-choice questions correctly used a number of cognitive and metacognitive strategies while solving these questions. On the other hand, the students who were studying in a public school, whose overall grade point averages was at “Average” and “Poor” levels , and who answered the questions incorrectly, used a limited range of cognitive and metacognitive strategies.

 

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cognitive and metacognitive strategies, multiple-choice questions, photosynthesis and respiration

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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejes.v0i0.3058

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