The Relationship Between Academic Anxiety, Metacognition, and Academic Achievement

Transitioning into a self-regulated learning environment poses challenges for many first-year undergraduates, leading to higher anxiety and decreased academic functioning. Previous research consistently found harmful effects of anxiety on academic outcomes, while metacognition was found to increase performance. However, no consensus was found on the relationship between metacognition and anxiety. Thus, this study explores the relationships between metacognition, academic anxiety, and achievement with the aim of clarifying the role of metacognition as a mediator between academic anxiety and performance. Using the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (MAI), Academic Anxiety Inventory (AAI), and self-reported GPA scores gathered from undergraduates (N = 128), regression analyses were conducted. Results indicate that higher general trait anxiety predicts lower academic achievement and increased metacognitive awareness, specifically declarative knowledge. Surprisingly, increased declarative knowledge also predicts lower achievement, while metacognitive strategy use does not predict performance. This unexpected finding may be attributed to students’ inaccurate and negative perceptions of their own metacognition and capabilities as a learner due to the shift to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, declarative knowledge partially mediates the relationship between trait anxiety and achievement, suggesting that metacognition acts as a secondary process to counter automatic anxious thoughts. In essence, highly anxious individuals may tend to fixate on their shortcomings, which can overwhelm their cognitive capacity and lead to a decline in their academic achievements. Therefore, improving metacognitive skills and accuracy can promote student well-being and academic success.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (MSc)

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Education Graduate Program – Educational Psychology

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Graduate Studies

Year dc:date.issued

2023

Author dc:creator

• Florentine, Rebecca

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Wilcox, Gabrielle

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• McMorris, Carly
• Schroeder, Meadow

• metacognition
• declarative knowledge
• academic anxiety
• trait anxiety
• academic achievement

Statement dc:rights

• University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.

Language dc:language.iso

en

DOI

https://doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/42280

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:ucalgary.scholaris.ca:1880/117437