A Metacognitive Approach to Student Learning Success in Business Education: Evidence from U.S. College Students Taking Operations Management Courses

Abstract

Objectives: In this study, we investigate (i) how students’ metacognitive awareness affects their learning effectiveness in operations management education and (ii) whether students can improve their learning effectiveness by training in metacognitive learning skills. Methods: This study was designed as a longitudinal study that followed the same participants (i.e., business students) at a state university in the U.S. for one semester. One class of 23 students was the experimental group, and the other class of 27 students was the control group. Structural equation modeling analysis was conducted based on survey data to examine the impact of metacognitive awareness on learning performance. Additionally, we tracked changes in test scores of the experimental and control groups in supply chain management (SCM) courses over one semester and analyzed the differences using analysis of variance. Results: The results showed that (i) metacognitive awareness was significantly related to students’ learning effectiveness in SCM courses, and (ii) the learning performance of the experimental group who practiced metacognitive learning skills for one semester was significantly higher than that of the control group who did not practice. These findings suggest that a metacognitive lens can serve as a more fundamental framework for problem-solving in business activities. Conclusions: Today’s managers face more complex and multidisciplinary challenges than ever before, so managers need to have metacognitive insights that function as a framework for continuously reflecting on existing business practices and discovering innovative alternatives. We hope this study will be a stepping stone for developing curricula that foster managerial metacognition in future business education.