A Comparison between Smart and Non-Smart Schools from the Perspective of Students' Cognitive and Metacognitive Strategies

Background and Aim: Smart schools are characterized by flexible curricula, teaching with new methods and centralizing the role of the student. In such schools, teachers are shifting from information transfer to guide and students shift from passive recipient to active in learning. Generally, learning strategies are referred to as cognitive and meta-cognitive strategies. The cognitive learning strategies are divided into different types of mental repetition, semantic expansion and organization. The term metacognition also refers to thinking and becoming aware of educational and learning processes. It seems that smart schools can influence the way that learning strategies are used. Methods: This study was a descriptive causal-comparative study. Eight smart schools and ۴ regular schools from Arak were randomly selected and finally students of ۲ classes from each school participated in the study. The Pintrich and De Groot Self-regulation Strategies Questionnaire was used as the data collection tool. Results: ۱- There is a significant difference between the level of students' cognitive strategies in smart and non-smart schools. ۲- There is a significant difference between the level of students' metacognitive strategies in smart and non-smart schools. Conclusion Results of the MANCOVA Test indicated significant differences between two groups with better performance for smart schools. In cognitive strategies smart school students had better performance in Note taking F(۱,۲۷۷)=۳/۲۶, (M=۴/۰۲, SD=۰/۸۵ rather M=۲/۹۱, SD=۱/۱۲), Summarizing F(۱,۲۷۷)=۶/۷۰, (M=۷/۸۳, SD=۱/۳۵ rather (M=۶/۷۲, SD=۱/۴۸), Organizing F(۱,۲۷۷)=۱/۱۷, (M=۱۹/۸۶, SD=۲/۵۷ rather M=۱۷/۰۲, SD=۲/۸۴), and Comprehension F(۱,۲۷۷)=۹/۱۶, (M=۸/۴۴, SD=۱/۱۹ rather (M=۶/۹۱, SD=۱/۳۸) [all p< ۰.۰۱] than non smart school students. In metacognitive strategies smart school students had better performance in Planning F(۱,۲۷۷)=۸۹/۳۰, (M=۸/۲۹, SD=۱/۲۸ rather M=۶/۷۱, SD=۱/۳۶), Effort and Perseverance F(۱,۲۷۷)=۶۸/۹۵, (M=۷/۴۰, SD=۱/۴۷ rather (M=۵/۷۲, SD=۱/۷۸), Discipline F(۱,۲۷۷)=۸۱/۹۲, (M=۳/۷۵, SD=۰/۹۶ rather M=۲/۵۴, SD=۱/۱۹) [all p< ۰.۰۱] than non smart school students. Smart schools can help to develop information (from cognitive strategies). Repetition and Review strategy is defined as the active repetition of a topic for remembering. Due to the low frequency of non-meaningful learning content, smart schools may not pay much attention to this strategy. However, with the aid of new technology and summarizing the learning content these schools have greatly helped to reinforce the summarizing strategy and expanded it and smart schools can enhance organizing strategy. It seems that smart schools improve students' planning and discipline and increase their effort and perseverance in many stages of learning.

کلیدواژه ها:

Smart Schools ، Non-Smart Schools ، Cognitive Strategies ، Metacognitive Strategies