Long-term metacognitive effects of a strategic learning course for postsecondary students with and without disabilities

Abstract

This dissertation examined long-term metacognitive effects of participation in a Strategic Learning course for postsecondary students with and without disabilities. The researcher integrated existing archival data from three sources, a university-wide assessment program, assessments of 114 students who took a postsecondary Strategic Learning course, and confirmations of disability status with the office of Disability Services. The ex post facto treatment group of 16 students included only those students who actively participated in the Strategic Learning course during freshman or sophomore years for whom both pre-test and post-test assessment data were available. A comparison group of 16 students was matched on demographic factors, high school GPA, and SAT scores. Both groups were similar in freshman measures of metacognitive regulation. Though the small sample size of 32 total students limited results, the most significant finding revealed that students in the ex post facto treatment group made large gains in metacognitive regulation with greater frequency than expected and students in the comparison group made no large gains in metacognitive regulation. Furthermore, there were no significant differences between the long-term effects for students with and without disabilities, indicating that students with disabilities benefit just as much from participation in course-based metacognitive interventions.