meta-cognition

This study aimed at scrutinizing the mediating role of critical thinking in relation to higher education students' metacognition and self-efficacy in Islamic Azad University, Nourabad Mamasani. Samples were collected through random sampling method and it was equal to 248. Instruments used in this study were three standard questionnaires including critical thinking, metacognition and self-efficacy. Cronbach's alpha was employed to estimate the instruments’ reliability, based on which critical thinking was found to be 0.88, metacognition 0.89 and self-efficacy 0.87.  Findings revealed that meta-cognition could significantly predict students' self-efficacy and critical thinking. Also, it was found that meta-cognition and critical thinking could significantly predict students’ self-efficacy. This study also showed that critical thinking had a mediating role in relation to students’ meta-cognition and self-efficacy. The dimensions of meta-cognition and critical thinking could significantly predict students’ self-efficacy.

The present research is devoted to the study of the effect of teaching self-regulation learning strategies (cognition, metacognition) on self-efficacy and mental health of students in Astara city. The statistical population included all the female students of the first high school (second period) of Astara city in the academic year of 1996-1997. Among these students, 46 students were selected by multi-stage cluster sampling method and they were randomly replaced into two experimental and control groups. The instruments used were: Pentrich and Groot's self-regulated learning strategies questionnaire (1990) and Goldberg and Hiller's general health questionnaire. (1979). The current research is a semi-experimental research of the pre-test-post-test design type with a control group. After conducting the pre-test for the experimental and control groups, the experimental group was trained in self-regulated learning strategies for 10 sessions of 60 minutes based on the theoretical background of the research of Nunes et al. et al., under the title of "How to comprehensively self-regulate?" Then the post-test was done for the experimental and control groups. The results of multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and univariate analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed a significant difference in self-efficacy in the experimental group, but this significance was not observed in mental health.