Guided instruction with Logo programming and the development of cognitive monitoring strategies among college students

As our society changes and becomes more complex, and as new knowledge and technology emerge, the need for teaching students to be independent thinkers and problem solvers increases more rapidly than ever before. Responding to the ever increasing societal demands, educators have sought for proper learning tools and methodologies to improve students\u27 higher-order thinking and problem solving skills. In particular, cognitive monitoring has been a primary concern of educators and cognitive psychologists. Cognitive monitoring has been regarded as one of the most important strategies in efficient thinking and problem solving. Logo programming has been considered a powerful tool to help students develop higher order thinking, an awareness of their thinking processes, and problem solving skills. Unfortunately, little evidence has been collected for the development of cognitive monitoring and problem solving through Logo programming;This research examined the effects of guided instruction with Logo programming on the development of cognitive monitoring strategies among college students. Guided instruction in this study involved three pedagogical elements. First, Logo programming was selected as a particular learning tool to teach cognitive monitoring strategies. Second, an explicit instructional model of cognitive monitoring processes was included in the process of solving Logo problems: decomposing, planning, executing, identifying errors, and debugging. Third, teacher mediated practice of cognitive monitoring activities was facilitated in a Logo programming environment as well as outside of the programming domain;The results of this study demonstrated positive effects of guided instruction with Logo programming on both near transfer and far transfer of cognitive monitoring strategies. The result also indicated that guided instruction contributed most significantly to the development of Logo error identification and debugging skills