Motivation, conceptual understanding, and critical thinking as correlates and predictors of metacognition in introductory physics

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship and prediction of motivation, conceptual understanding, and critical thinking on metacognition in introductory physics. A correlational research design with multiple regression analysis was used to analyze the data from 84 first-year pre-engineering students from two public universities in Ethiopia. The instruments used were the Physics Motivation Questionnaire II, the Electricity and Magnetism conceptual assessment, the critical thinking of electricity and magnetism, and the metacognitive awareness and regulation of electricity and magnetism. The results showed that metacognition was significantly and positively associated with all three predictor variables, with motivation being the most strongly related, followed by conceptual understanding and critical thinking. However, only motivation and conceptual understanding predicted metacognition in the regression model. These results highlight the specific and combined roles of motivation, conceptual understanding, and critical thinking on metacognition and emphasize the need to consider these factors in physics education and research.