Investigating learning Strategies and Underlying Learning Processes During Development

Metacognition, the ability to reflect on one’s own thinking and learning, is a central component of cognitive development and is one of humans’ most advanced cognitive abilities. This project examines the development of metacognitive thinking about the ways people study and learn. Children often make decisions about how to study, from practicing math facts to learning new science concepts. Research shows that study strategies that feel easy in the moment are not always optimal for long-term learning, while approaches that require greater mental effort often lead to stronger and more lasting knowledge. The trade-off between the ease and effectiveness of a learning strategy is called “desirable difficulty”. This project examines the development of metacognitive thinking about desirable difficulties and how this thinking changes across childhood. By identifying when children’s understanding of desirable difficulties emerges and what experiences shape this understanding, this project aims to provide knowledge that can help families, educators, and researchers support effective learning from an early age. This project investigates developmental changes in metacognitive thinking about five learning strategies that lead to desirable difficulties and improve long-term learning: spaced learning, retrieval practice, contextual variation, variable practice, and feedback reduction. Across three studies, researchers (1) examine emergence of understanding that study strategies that lead to desirable difficulties improve learning; (2) identify individual differences associated with development of metacognitive thinking about desirable difficulties; and (3) test whether children’s understanding of desirable difficulties can be changed during early years of formal schooling. The resulting open-access dataset has potential to support future research on learning, development, and education. Overall, this project bridges cognitive and developmental science, with the findings advancing understanding of developmental processes underpinning metacognition. This project was funded in part by the STEM K-12 program, which supports fundamental, applied, and translational research on STEM learning in both formal K-12 education and informal learning environments. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.