Abstracts Mathematics

Development of the metacognition for teaching inventory and exploration of P-12 teachers’ metacognition for teaching

by John Matthew Weaver

Twenty-first-century teachers enter the classroom amid ever-growing demands and increasingly complex learning environments. Because of this, it is critical that teachers develop the knowledge and skills needed to be effective classroom problem-solvers. As is the case with student problem-solving, metacognition has been shown to be helpful in exploring the cognitive processes in which teachers engage. Unfortunately, the absence of a well-validated instrument to measure metacognition for teaching has hindered research in this area. The purpose of this study was to (1) develop and provide validity evidence for the metacognition for teaching inventory (MTI), (2) describe the level of metacognition for teaching of P-12 teachers and compare differences between groups, and (3) explore whether metacognition for teaching is related to motivation and the mathematics teacher efficacy beliefs of P-12 mathematics teachers. To address these questions, 1927 P-12 teachers in a midwestern state were surveyed. The results demonstrated that the 30-item MTI had good internal consistency and contained five factors that were consistent with the three components of metacognition for teaching: teacher metacognitive knowledge, teacher metacognitive experiences, and teacher metacognitive skills. Second, when comparing differences between groups, it was determined that Mathematics teachers and English teachers reported higher levels of metacognition for teaching than those who taught Science or Social Studies. Further, it was determined that teachers who completed a university-based teacher preparation program reported higher levels of metacognition for teaching than those who were alternatively certified. Finally, metacognition for teaching was shown to have a significant positive correlation with teacher motivation and the mathematics teacher efficacy beliefs of P-12 mathematics teachers. These findings suggest that the MTI is a well-validated instrument that can be used by researchers to measure metacognition for teaching for P-12 teachers and provide evidence of the critical role of teacher preparation and its impact on a teacher’s metacognition for teaching.