Improving Students' Achievement in a Holistic Learning Environment Through Metacognitive Awareness

The purpose of this study was to examine whether students' mathematics achievement could be improved through the development of metacognitive awareness when students were exposed to a holistic learning environment. Such environment refers to learning environment which has four interrelated characteristics, namely learner-centered, knowledge-centered, assessment-centered, and community centered. This study employed a survey design involving 333 middle school students from ten secondary schools in one of the states in Malaysia who have been selected by using multistage stratified random sampling procedures. Data were collected through self-reported questionnaire and analysed by using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) technique. Results indicated that the provision of holistic learning environment was related to the development of metacognitive awareness which consequently led to higher students' mathematic achievement. Educational implications based on these results were discussed.