Improving Mathematical Achievement: Investigating The Impact of Errorful Learning Intervention on Metacognition

• L Khawn Phang, Psychology, Temple University

• Christina Barbieri, Education and Human Development, University of Delaware

The significant decline in math progress at the elementary and middle school level may hinder college success and pursuing STEM careers (Shapka et al., 2006). To improve students’ mathematical achievement, it is crucial to provide specific strategic interventions that enhance their metacognition. Metacognition is the ability to monitor, regulate, and control individual thinking and learning. The current study examined the effectiveness of errorful learning intervention in improving students’ metacognition. Calibration was utilized to measure students’ metacognition. The participants (N=24) were fourth, fifth, and sixth graders from a private elementary school and a substantial proportion of students are diagnosed with mathematics and reading learning disabilities. By using a paired-samples t-test, the study analyzed whether calibration accuracy and bias score improved from pretest to posttest, and whether calibration accuracy improvement differed depending on math content areas, equivalence and operations. The statistically significant improvement at posttest indicated that the errorful learning intervention had a positive impact on students’ ability to accurately identify their overall knowledge and understanding, with a meaningful effect size, after exposure to errorful learning. The bias score indicated there was an improvement in students’ ability to judge their confidence. The calibration improvement differed depending on math content areas; the errorful learning intervention had an impact on the equivalence test, with a small to moderate effect size, but no impact on the operations test. The results showed  that the errorful learning intervention had a positive impact on students’ metacognition. By using errorful learning materials, students with learning disabilities can improve their ability to self-monitor and regulate learning processes, especially in the domain of mathematics.