Combining cognitive and metacognitive prompts optimizes germane processing; metacognitive prompts alone help only when remedial planning is prompted and remediation is possible¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · review r2–r3 · q3
Currency · newest study 2020 · checked against its sources 2026-10-20 (automated, 2 of 2 entries) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? Berthold et al. (2007) found cognitive prompts or combined cognitive-plus-metacognitive prompts improved learning over no prompts, whereas metacognitive prompts alone did not. → Nückles 2020 q3 i? Nückles et al. (2009) replicated this but found metacognitive prompts alone also improved learning when planning of remedial strategies was prompted and learners could revise their journals; the combination of all prompt types was most successful. → Nückles 2020 (2)

Evidence¶

Nückles 2020¶

Nückles, M., Roelle, J., Glogger-Frey, I., Waldeyer, J., & Renkl, A. (2020). The Self-Regulation-View in Writing-to-Learn: Using Journal Writing to Optimize Cognitive Load in Self-Regulated Learning. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-020-09541-1

q3 · i? · review · r2

A review of 16 experimental and 4 correlational journal-writing studies; this entry is its summary of Berthold et al. (2007), an experiment with undergraduates (developmental psychology) varying prompt combinations. Students receiving "cognitive, or a combination of cognitive and metacognitive prompts learned more than students without prompts"; metacognitive-only prompts produced high metacognitive but very few cognitive strategies.

"undergraduate students who received cognitive, or a combination of cognitive and metacognitive prompts learned more than students without prompts. Students provided only with metacognitive prompts, however, did not learn more than those without prompts"

Nückles 2020 (2)¶

Nückles, M., Roelle, J., Glogger-Frey, I., Waldeyer, J., & Renkl, A. (2020). The Self-Regulation-View in Writing-to-Learn: Using Journal Writing to Optimize Cognitive Load in Self-Regulated Learning. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-020-09541-1

q3 · i? · review · r3

The same review's summary of Nückles et al. (2009), a replication experiment (N = 103 university students, cognitive load theory content) with five prompt conditions and an opportunity to revise journals; the 2020 review did not run the experiment itself. "metacognitive prompts alone ... also improved learning outcomes" when remedial planning was prompted; the combination of all prompt types was most successful.

"metacognitive prompts alone (i.e., condition c, see above) also improved learning outcomes. That is, prompting metacognitive strategies alone is not detrimental — if the planning of remedial strategies is prompted and learners have the opportunity to realize the remedial strategies"

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Strategy prompts strongly increase learners' use of the prompted strategies, and the effect on comprehension is mediated by strategy use — related
• Metacognitive prompts improve learning — related
• Reflective Practice Improves Outcomes When Structured — related
• Cognitive and metacognitive prompts in learning journals helped early in a term but became detrimental by its end; adaptive fading-out mitigated this — related
• Prompting metacognitive strategies before cognitive strategies improves strategy quality and conceptual knowledge — related
• Without instructional support, learners show low cognitive strategy use and almost absent metacognitive strategies in journal writing, and realized strategy use correlates with learning outcomes — related
• Short-term prompting in weekly learning journals increases university students' self-reported metacognitive strategy use over time — related
• Short-term prompting in weekly learning journals increases university students' self-reported cognitive strategy use over time — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Cognitive and metacognitive prompts did not increase self-reported online strategy use, the quality of strategies in learners' notes, or learning outcomes in hypermedia learning — reports the opposite
• A personal utility prompt in journal writing improves learning motivation and comprehension — related