Digging into Discourse: Students’ Use of Metacognitive Strategies in Discussions

Junior high students’ use of metacognitive reading strategies are essential components of reading. Yet, students infrequently engage with these collective meaning-making strategies, given that opportunities to talk about text through dialogic discourse can be limited. In this case study, we observed how students in five 6th-grade class periods use metacognitive reading strategies during text-based discussions about contestable topics at two timepoints during the school year. We observed flexible, diverse, and context-dependent use of metacognitive strategies to process new information, reflect, seek clarity, and verify comprehension; notable differences in strategies used were found between the two timepoints. This study demonstrates that student-led dialogic discussions provide a rich environment for metacognitive engagement and meaning-making. Given the rarity of productive student-to-student discussions in many classrooms, this research reinforces the value of structured, yet open-ended, discourse as a means of supporting students’ metacognitive development.