An analysis of research on metacognitive teaching strategies

Metacognition has been an area of interest to educational researchers for more than 40 years. A large body of literature exists on this topic, both theoretical and empirical. However, there are few studies that summarize specific instructional practices for improving students' capacity for metacognitive thinking. Similarly, there is a dearth of evidence showing how specific practices are implemented to affect student achievement. This review addresses gaps in these areas by identifying instructional approaches in the empirical literature that promote metacognitive thinking in primary and secondary student populations using analytical literature review methods. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.