Abstracts

Because of the advances in technology for education, online learning has become more prominent, especially in higher education. Computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) seems especially promising in allowing students to work together in ways that they have not been able to before, both face-to-face and online. Instructors use CSCL to engage students and to increase learning. CSCL requires that students regulate each others learning through social metacognition; this allows the group as a whole to make use of the knowledge and skills of the group as they learn. The purpose of this study was to compare the social metacognition of students in a CSCL environment for a face-to-face information literacy course and an online information literacy course. This allowed for the development of the Social Metacognitive Awareness Instrument (SMAI), which may be used by future researchers. When accounting for individual metacognitive scores, students in the face-to-face version of the course had significantly higher social metacognitive awareness scores than students in the online version of the course. This study also found that students in groups had some similarities in social metacognitive scores. A students metacognitive score was a significant predictor of their social metacognitive score. The results of this study indicate that more intervention may be needed for effective group work online. This also supports the research that social metacognition is an independent construct, and so social metacognition or socially-shared regulation should continue to be studied as an important factor in group work. The study also supports the research that indicates that individual metacognition can predict social metacognition. Thus, it is possible that improving individual metacognitive abilities will improve social metacognitive abilities. Advisors/Committee Members: Misook Heo, Gibbs Kanyongo, Sara Baron.