Action Cards as Means into Second Graders’ Metacognition During Mathematics Problem Solving

Abstract

Despite the important role that metacognition plays in school mathematics, only recently has attention turned to primary grades. The aim of this exploratory qualitative study was to find out to what extent six second graders engage in metacognitive behaviors during mathematics problem solving. The analysis was based on the adaptation of the multi-method interview approach, whose core idea lies upon using action cards consisting of metacognitive cues. The results show that even young children engage in different metacognitive actions. However, the use of action cards revealed some drawbacks with respect to studying young children’s metacognition during mathematics problem solving, which are discussed at the end.