Instructional Practices

Metacognition, Cognition, and Human Performance, Volume 2: Instructional Practices is a collection of papers that deals with applied settings that develop and test instructional programs in the field of education. The book discusses some insights in understanding the processes involved in writing and reading. The text defines metacognition — as a mental function and the directing of this function — and reading, as well as the structure of narratives. One paper proposes a model for cognitive monitoring and early reading by developing for children three knowledge domains: function of print, form of print, and conventions of print or metacognitive constructs. Other papers analyze metacognition, instruction, the role of questioning activities, as well as the connection between metacognition and learning disabilities. One author evaluates a different perspective whether attention-related difficulties are a normal development in a young child or a disability in the older child. This author also explains meta-attention pertaining to task solving, selective attention to other stimuli, and visual search of the surrounding or for a target object. One research shows that methodologies designed to induce underachieving children to regulate their own academic behavior can improve their performance. The text can prove useful to child psychologists, behavioral scientists, and students and professors in child education.