The role of metacognitive skills in learning to solve problems

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of meaningful learning which can serve as a condition for transfer to
occur? In this study a test is developed that measures meaningful learning.
The design of this test is based on the conclusions of the pilot
study. A large number of multiple-choice questions are developed. The
results of this test are part of the institutional course grade. The fully
functional version of KM Quest is played before the institutional course
starts, in order to prevent interference from KM theories taught in the
institutional course.
The learning goals of KM Quest on the one hand call for the acquisition
of declarative knowledge (see page 53). For example, students are
required to learn the definitions of the various knowledge processes and
indicators by heart. Moreover, they should be able to apply these concepts
in KM Quest. With respect to the theoretical model (see chapter
2, page 32), declarative knowledge belongs to the object-level.
On the other hand, learning goals also call for the acquisition of procedural
knowledge. For instance, based upon a particular event, students
should be able to identify which knowledge process is at stake or what
the relation is between a particular knowledge process and type of intervention.
Procedural knowledge belongs both to the object- and the tasklevel
of the theoretical model; it concerns respectively task knowledge
and control sequences (see page 164). Students have to understand the
concepts and relations between them in order to use them in the context
of KM Quest. In that respect, the learning goals of KM Quest require
that meaningful learning takes place.
In order to explore the use of metacognitive skills again, part of the
MSLQ is administered. This time it is used prospectively: students are
asked to report how they use metacognitive skills in general. In terms
of the theoretical model, the self-reported use of metacognitive skills
belongs to the meta-level.
The main hypothesis for the current study is that KM Quest promotes
meaningful learning in the sense that students acquire declarative and
procedural knowledge as a result of playing KM Quest.
5.2 Method
5.2.1 Participants
The participants in this study were 31 students from the Polytechnic
Maastricht, 13 female and 18 male. The average age of the students was
22 years (SD = 1,8). They formed 11 teams, of which 9 teams had three
members and two teams had two members. The students were enrolled
in the study Information Management and Services. They were in their
fourth year of their study. The group was in all respects comparable to