Abstract:

Metacognition is the knowledge and regulation of one's own cognitive system. Possession and use of metacognitive abilities is necessary for learning and the learners who are metacognitively strong are best prepared to learn throughout their lives. Medical students must be prepared to cope with the uncertainty and evolving understanding inherent in medical practice. The study examined the metacognitive awareness of medical students and the impact of metacognitive training on their metacognitive awareness. In this research, mixed methods design was used. In the quantitative research pre- and post- test control group experimental research method was used. Two-way repeated measures of analysis of variance (ANOVA), Bonferroni corrected repeated measures of ANOVA, Bonferroni corrected Mann-Whitney U test were used for analyses. In the qualitative research, 6 open-ended questions were asked to the experimental group. “Content analysis” was used to analyze the 6 open-ended questions which students answered. The research group consisted of 63 first-year (2007-2008) medical students (30 tests, 33 controls) of Ankara University School of Medicine. Metacognitive Awareness Inventory-MAI was used to determine the students' metacognitive awareness. MAI scores of both post-test and follow up test were higher than pre-test scores in experimental group (p=0.003 and p=0.043, respectively), while there could not be found any statistically significant differences in control group (p=0.215). Metacognitive capabilities can be enhanced by training. Informing the students about metacognition and life-long learning, and helping the educators in realizing the importance of metacognition can help the students learn how to learn.   Key words: Metacognition, Metacognitive awareness, Medical education, Undergraduate, Lifelong learning

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