Metacognitive Strategies in Relation to Readingwriting Metacomprehension and Motivation of University Students

Abstract

The evaluation of metacognitive strategies and motivation is of great interest to university teaching processes. However, most research has focused on children and adolescents. The aim of this article is to explore the relationships among university students between cognitive strategies, metacognitive strategies applied to reading and writing, and various aspects of motivation, through a sample of Spanish university students (N = 415). Two scales adapted for these students were used for reading and writing metacomprehension (escola and Evapromes, respectively), along with a motivation scale and a general metacognitive strategies scale. Repeated measures tests (Anova-a-mr) were performed to differentiate between subscales, Pearson product-moment correlations between scales were assessed, and a multiple linear regression model was applied to assess the predictive power of reading and writing metacomprehension on motivation and general metacognitive strategies. The results indicate the existence of significant correlations between all the scales, being higher in Evapromes than in Escola. In addition, when both scales are analyzed together, the regression coefficients indicate a high predictive potential of Evapromes, while Escola has a significantly lower capacity, especially concerning motivation. This work has allowed progress in theoretical aspects related to the importance of motivation in the learning process through through the application of metacognitive strategies in the university population, and represents progress in the use of measurement instruments with appropiate psychometric properties.