Date of Award

Spring 2026

Document Type

Open Access Dissertation

Department

Educational Studies

First Advisor

Christine Lotter

Abstract

Students who meet traditional definitions of college readiness based on prior coursework, grades, and standardized test scores often continue to struggle in large-enrollment introductory STEM courses. These struggles are particularly evident in introductory biology, where high cognitive demands, rapid pacing, and content volume require learners to regulate their own studying in ways many students have never been taught. This action research study examined whether sustained, explicit instruction in metacognitive regulation—planning, monitoring, and evaluating learning—could support introductory biology students’ college readiness and learning of biology content.

Using a mixed-methods action research design, the study investigated a 15-week co-curricular metacognitive intervention taken concurrently with a large-enrollment introductory biology course. Students in the intervention participated in weekly 50-minute guided practice sessions focused on applying metacognitive strategies to real-time biology content, received weekly strategy reminders, and completed structured reflective journals. Quantitative data were collected using a modified Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (MAI) administered pre- and post-intervention, and qualitative data were drawn from 12 weeks of prompted student reflections. Nonparametric Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used to analyze changes in MAI scores, and thematic coding was applied to journal entries.

Results demonstrated statistically significant gains in students’ metacognitive awareness across planning, monitoring, and evaluation domains. Qualitative findings showed that students increasingly articulated purposeful study planning and active monitoring of understanding. Evaluation of strategy effectiveness developed over the semester but remained at the surface level. Students also reported greater confidence and improved ability to adjust their learning approaches in response to biology course demands.

Together, the findings suggest that sustained, scaffolded, and discipline-specific metacognitive instruction can meaningfully enhance students’ learning regulation in introductory biology. This co-curricular model offers a practical and scalable approach for supporting students who enter college academically prepared yet strategically underprepared.

Rights

© 2026, Angela S Mohrman

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