Metacognitive Awareness as a Predictor of Reasoning Among SS I Economics Students in Enugu Education Zone, Enugu State, Nigeria

This study examined metacognitive awareness as a predictor of economic reasoning among SS I Economics students in Enugu Education Zone, Enugu State, Nigeria. The study was guided by three research questions and two null hypotheses tested at the 0.05 level of significance. A predictive correlational research design was adopted. A multistage sampling procedure was used to select 357 SS I Economics students from a population of 5,195 students. The two instruments, the Metacognitive Awareness Questionnaire (MAQ) and the Economic Reasoning Test (ERT), were developed by the researcher. Three experts, comprising one expert in Economics Education and two experts in Measurement and Evaluation, validated the instruments based on relevance, clarity, appropriateness, adequacy of content coverage, and alignment with the objectives of the study. Internal consistency reliability was determined using the psych package in R statistical software, yielding reliability coefficients of 0.79 for the MAQ and 0.73 for the ERT. Data were analysed using mean, standard deviation, Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient, and multiple linear regression. The findings showed that students obtained a mean metacognitive awareness score of 2.44 (SD = 0.87) and a mean economic reasoning score of 16.83 (SD = 6.76). Metacognitive awareness had a positive and statistically significant relationship with economic reasoning, r(355) = .385, p < .001. Furthermore, planning, monitoring, and evaluation jointly predicted economic reasoning significantly, F(3, 353) = 20.62, p < .001, accounting for 14.9% of the variance in economic reasoning. However, none of the three dimensions made a statistically significant unique contribution when considered simultaneously. The study recommends that Economics teachers should deliberately incorporate planning, monitoring, evaluation, and reflective activities into classroom instruction to help students develop stronger economic reasoning skills.