Thinking about Thinking, from Searching to Evaluating: Students’ Metacognitive Strategy in Digital Literacy Practices

Abstract

This study investigated students’ metacognitive strategies in digital literacy practices with focus on how they plan, monitor and evaluate their digital reading practice. As digital learning environments demands higher levels of self-regulation, students’ understanding of metacognitive awareness becomes crucial to foster their effective understanding and critical engagement. By employing descriptive quantitative approach, this study distributed a questionnaire developed from Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategies Inventory (MARSI) to 122 vocational university students in a public university in Indonesia. Quantitative data analysis was accomplished to identify frequency and pattern of strategy, problem solving and support strategy. This study revealed that students often applied problem-solving strategy but show low engagement in evaluative and reflective practice, especially in evaluating credibility and online epistemic information. Although students reflected relative high awareness of surface-level strategies, their critical evaluation remained limited. This finding highlighted the fundamental of explicit instruction in metacognitive regulation in digital literacy curriculum. This study concludes that cultivating students’ evaluative and epistemological awareness are crucial to prepare them to navigate complex digital information environment.