"THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN METACOGNITION, STUDY STRATEGIES, AND STUDENTS" by Nghiem Uy Tieu

Semester

Fall

Date of Graduation

2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Type

PhD

College

Eberly College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Chemistry

Committee Chair

Oluwatobi Odeleye

Committee Co-Chair

Michelle Richards-Babb

Committee Member

Brian Popp

Committee Member

Vicki Sealey

Committee Member

Jake Follmer

Abstract

Many students find General Chemistry challenging, and studies have shown a link between students’ grades in chemistry and a decrease in interest in STEM fields. Similarly, Organic Chemistry has also been typically identified as a difficult course for many undergraduate students and has a notoriously high failure rate. Numerous studies have explored various methods to enhance students’ performance and experience in both General Chemistry and Organic Chemistry, but there hasn’t been much focus on students’ study strategies. In addition, metacognition, the skill of thinking about one’s thinking, had been proven in studies as a vital role in enhancing students’ achievements. Studies of metacognition in conjunction with college chemistry, especially General Chemistry, show that the higher metacognition skills the students have, the better they can solve chemistry problems. This study aims to investigate the relationship between metacognition, study strategies, and students’ performances in General Chemistry and Organic Chemistry courses. Data were collected using surveys and interviews, then analyzed using statistical and qualitative methods. The results showed that the relationships exist between these three factors, but it was not consistent across the board. The varying degree of the relationships and possible explanations are discussed in this dissertation. Overall, this work supports the idea that enhancing metacognition would lead to better study usage and higher achievements in chemistry courses, especially General Chemistry and Organic Chemistry.

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