Metacognition in an Engineering Design Project

This quantitative study investigated the relationship between cognitive self-appraisal (CSA) and cognitive self-management (CSM), and the level of problem difficulty for electrical-computer engineering, mechanical engineering, and computer science students working on their senior design projects. The study also evaluated metacognitive differences among the three groups. The study involved 168 engineering students working on 60 different design projects and 3 engineering professors who advised the students and evaluated the level of difficulty of the projects. Two Likert-scale survey instruments were used: Engineering Design Project Inventory (EDPI) for assessing students' CSA and CSM, and Rubric for Rating Students' Design Project (RRSDP) for evaluating the level of difficulty of the design projects. Statistical tests revealed (a) the existence of a significant relationship between students' cognitive self-appraisal and self-management, (b) the absence of a significant relationship between students' metacognition and level of project difficulty, and (c) the absence of significant metacognitive differences among the three groups of engineering students.