“You Can Sort of Feel It”: Exploring Metacognition and the Feeling of Knowing Among Undergraduate Students

Authors

• Antonio P. Gutierrez de Blume, Georgia Southern UniversityFollow
• Pamela Wells, Georgia Southern UniversityFollow
• C. Amelia DavisFollow
• Jason Parker, Georgia Southern UniversityFollow

Abstract

Traditional research on the metacognitive practice of calibration has been primarily investigated within the realm of quantitative experimental methodologies. This article expands the research scope of metacognitive calibration by offering a qualitative approach to the growing body of literature. More specifically, the current study investigates the learners’ perspective on the calibration process. Ten undergraduate students were selected to participate in a structured interview on their previous calibration performances (five students low in calibration processing and five proficient in calibration processing). Ultimately nine students (N=9) participated in individual interviews. Participant interviews are qualitatively assessed through the mediums of (1) Serra and Matcalfe’s original work on the “feelings of knowing” and (2) self-regulated learning theory (SRL). Results indicate a difference in feelings of knowing between low and proficient calibrators across a battery of themes: effort, strategies, planning, and evaluation. Implications of the results and direction for future research are explored.

Keywords

Feeling of Knowing, Qualitative Method, Interviews, Undergraduate Students, Comprehension Monitoring, Self-Regulated Learning

Author Bio(s)

Antonio P. Gutierrez de Blume, Ph.D., is currently an Assistant Professor of Research at Georgia Southern University. He is interested in researching metacognition under the theory of self-regulated learning. More specifically, he is interested in how learners monitor their comprehension during learning episodes. His program of research includes examining the effects of dispositional characteristics (e.g., various aspects of motivation) and learning strategy training on learners’ calibration (accuracy and bias), confidence, and performance as well as investigating the latent dimensions of calibration to improve its measurement. Correspondence regarding this article can be addressed directly to: [email protected].

Pamela C. Wells, Ph.D., LPC, ACS, NCC, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Leadership, Technology, and Human Development at Georgia Southern University. She is a member of the Counselor Education faculty, and she is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Georgia. Her research interest areas include mindfulness and counseling, graduate student wellness, and doctoral level advising. She has experience with several qualitative methodologies, including grounded theory and Photovoice. Correspondence may directed to [email protected].

C. Amelia Davis, Ph.D., is a former Assistant Professor of Educational Research at Georgia Southern University. She is a yogini, social justice advocate, and volunteer. Her research interests involve adult learners and how to better serve early school leavers. Correspondence regarding this article can also be addressed directly to: [email protected].

Jason A. Parker, M.A., M.S.(c), is currently a master’s student of experimental psychology and a graduate research assistant at Georgia Southern University with intentions of continuing his education by pursuing a Ph.D. Mr. Parker's current research focus is on cognition and technology. Additionally, he has an academic background in modern languages and linguistics. Correspondence regarding this article can also be addressed directly to: [email protected].

Publication Date

7-30-2017

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

Recommended APA Citation

Gutierrez de Blume, A. P., Wells, P., Davis, C., & Parker, J. (2017). “You Can Sort of Feel It”: Exploring Metacognition and the Feeling of Knowing Among Undergraduate Students. The Qualitative Report, 22(7), 2017-2032. DOI: https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2017.2802