The role of metacognitive skills in learning to solve problems

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Figure 2.8.
Theoretical model of problem solving.
the problem solving process makes the model applicable to a wide range
of situations, both for solving well- and ill-defined problems.
The relation between the levels is that higher levels monitor and control
lower levels. The meta-level can monitor and control the object-level
directly. Alternatively, it monitors and controls the task-level, which in
turn monitors and controls the object-level (see the arrows in figure 2.8).
Monitoring includes assessing the status of ongoing activities at a
lower level. It also includes checking understanding at a lower level.
Controlling concerns changing or redirecting the activities at a lower level
in order to pursue the goals formulated at that higher level. For instance,
when understanding at the object-level is problematic, a decision can be
taken at a higher level to initiate a new activity or to redirect the order
of activities in order to enhance understanding.
The object-level is domain-dependent. It consists of domain-specific
knowledge and cognitive activities related to it. Knowledge at the objectlevel
concerns concepts and the relations between them in a specific domain.
It also contains knowledge about the domain-specific setting of a
problem, for example, case material that is relevant for that particular
problem. The application of domain-specific knowledge results in the
execution of reasoning activities. These activities are cognitive in nature.
A learner who is not aware of higher levels in the problem solving
process than the object-level, has only limited control over the reasoning