Learning in adulthood: Through the metacognitive lens

Resumen

Metacognitive learning has been mostly studied for populations consisting of children, and only a limited amount of metacognitive research is dedicated to adult learning. This paper aims to study metacognitive approaches and strategies for adults. This research summarized and analyzed 10 academic articles regarding the metacognitive learning strategies that increase the capacity to learn in human adults. The population considered for this review were adult university students. The criteria of inclusion for this research consisted of: articles that were published in the last five years, articles published in peer reviewed journals and research that articulated the results and conclusions of original research relating to metacognition learning strategies in adult students. The general results derived from the research papers that were reviewed suggest that there are a variety of teaching approaches and learning styles among adults that affect learning, and that there are both external and internal factors that can also affect adult learning through metacognition. In conclusion, it was found that these factors should be weighed in and considered when designing a learning program for adults and that more metacognitive research should be made with the adult population.