The use of metacognitive strategies for undisrupted online learning: Preparing university students in the age of pandemic

The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the relationship between the use of metacognitive strategies and learning performance in online learning among university students. The global lockdown due to the Covid-19 global pandemic outbreak has resulted in major interruptions in students' learning and education at all levels around the world. One of the consequences of university closures is that students suddenly find themselves having a lot more responsibility for their learning. Surprisingly, many students are not fully equipped with the relevant skills to excel in online learning despite being born into technology. Students are not aware of how to look inward to examine how they learn and to judge which methods are effective especially when faced with new forms of learning online because they lack metacognitive skills. Metacognition is crucial to the talent of learning. Although many researchers affirmed that metacognitive skills are crucial in any learning, a study on the impact of the use of metacognitive strategies on learning performance is still rudimentary. The study was carried out with 770 university IT students who have taken at least one online learning course. Data was collected using a self-administered instrument that was adapted from multiple sources. Three hypotheses were formulated and structural equation modeling was employed to conduct path modeling analysis. The findings from this study affirmed that students who use metacognitive strategies in online learning are indeed capable of evaluating their understanding of the course content and are capable of adding more effort in regulating their learning process. In view of the findings, this study will be useful for course instructors and students to establish practices on how to utilise metacognitive strategies to enhance students' learning performance as those lacking in metacognition may find themselves at a huge disadvantage.