Language abilities and metacognitive monitoring development: Divergent longitudinal pathways for native and non-native speaking children

The ability to accurately evaluate one's task performance (metacognitive monitoring) is crucial for children's learning and academic achievement, but mechanisms explaining monitoring development remain to be uncovered. We investigated the role of language abilities for metacognitive monitoring in five to seven-year-old native and non-native speakers. Data stems from an ongoing German large-scale assessment (National Educational Panel Study) initiated in 2010 ( N = 9167; 49.6 % male). We computed cross-lagged panel models including measurements of children's language abilities and metacognitive monitoring (in math and science tasks) in kindergarten and grade one. Earlier language abilities predicted later metacognitive monitoring for native (β = −.21), but not for non-native speakers (β = −.07). Conversely, metacognitive monitoring predicted language abilities for non-native (β = .53), but not for native speakers (β = .03). Fundamentally different mechanisms appear to drive native and non-native speakers’ metacognitive monitoring development. • We investigated language abilities and metacognitive monitoring longitudinally. • Data stems from a large-scale assessment (N = 9167 five to seven-year-olds). • Language predicted metacognitive monitoring for native speakers. • Language did not predict metacognitive monitoring for non-native speakers. • Overconfidence predicted second language abilities of non-native speakers.