Question 1

Three of the following are accurate statements about how students' epistemic beliefs influence their approach to studying and learning. Which statement is not accurate?

Accepted Answer

A)   Students who believe that knowledge consists of a collection of discrete facts, rather than an interrelated set of ideas, are likely to engage in rote learning of classroom material.
B)   Students who believe that learning is a gradual process are more likely to use a variety of learning strategies and to persist in their learning efforts until they have mastered what they are studying.
C)   Students who believe that knowledge is a certain entity-that facts and ideas are definitely either right or wrong-are more like likely to jump to quick conclusions from the things they hear and read.
D)   Students who believe that knowledge is something that comes from authority figures, rather than being constructed by the learner, are more likely to be actively, cognitively engaged in their learning tasks. D

Question 2

Learners' epistemic beliefs can best be described as learners' views about:

Accepted Answer

A)   What instructional techniques are most likely to help them learn classroom material
B)   How researchers develop theories from the data they collect
C)   How long they are likely to remember the things that they learn in school
D)   The nature of knowledge and how it is acquired D

Question 3

Research indicates that study skills training is most likely to be effective when:

Accepted Answer

A)   Students focus on learning one specific study strategy.
B)   Students focus on learning facts rather than on developing higher-level thinking skills.
C)   Students have little or no background in the topic they are studying.
D)   Students are given reasons why certain study techniques are helpful. D

Question 4

Three of the following students are showing signs of self-regulated learning. Which student does not show any evidence of self-regulated learning?

Accepted Answer

A)   Adam beams with pleasure when his teacher praises his English essay, because her opinion of his work is very important to him.
B)   Blake knows that, for purposes of college admission, his performance in math class is more important than his performance in his drama class, so he works harder in the first class than in the second.
C)   As Craig studies his German vocabulary words, he occasionally stops to check himself to see which words he needs to study further.
D)   Drew thinks to himself, "Tonight I'll skim the reading assignment in history just to get a general idea of what the chapter's all about. Tomorrow I'll read it again in more depth."

Question 5

On the average, self-regulated learners tend to:

Accepted Answer

A)   Perform better on a continuous reinforcement schedule than on an intermittent reinforcement schedule
B)   Require more of a teacher's time and attention than do other students, but this time and attention is a good investment over the long run
C)   Be less interested in extracurricular activities than their classmates
D)   Achieve at higher levels in the classroom

Question 6

When students summarize material they are studying, they learn it more thoroughly. Which one of these students is most effectively summarizing?

Accepted Answer

A)   Jerry writes down the important ideas and identifies relationships among them.
B)   Laura writes down everything she can remember from the lesson.
C)   Nora writes each main point on a separate index card and then jots down all the details she can remember about each one.
D)   Phyllis lists the general themes of a lesson in five or six words.

Question 7

Maps, matrixes, and historical time lines all help students learn by facilitating:

Accepted Answer

A)   Use of mnemonics
B)   Rote learning
C)   Organization
D)   Self-regulated learning

Question 8

To remember that the capital of Maine is Augusta, Bart pictures a lion with a gust of wind blowing through its mane. Bart's technique illustrates:

Accepted Answer

A)   the keyword method
B)   verbal mediation
C)   the method of loci
D)   an external retrieval cue

Question 9

Which one of the following definitely illustrates theory of mind in a preschooler?

Accepted Answer

A)   Casey asks his friend Julia, "Did you forget what I told you yesterday?"
B)   Although he cannot yet read, Manuel enjoys looking at picture books.
C)   Liza frowns and complains to her mother, "My head hurts really bad!"
D)   Toula tells her playmate Joey all about her camping trip over the weekend.

Question 10

Three of the following are possible reasons that many students don't use effective learning and study strategies. Which one is not a reason that theorists have offered?

Accepted Answer

A)   Students believe they won't learn no matter what they do.
B)   Students think strategies involve too much time and trouble.
C)   Students have insufficient knowledge about a topic to use such strategies effectively.
D)   For some students, things learned at a rote level stay with them longer than things learned meaningfully.

Question 11

Donald is studying for an upcoming exam. He does a number of things to prepare for the exam, four of which are listed below. Three of these illustrate metacognition. Which one reflects very little metacognitive activity?

Accepted Answer

A)   He allows himself adequate study time for the exam.
B)   He focuses his eyes on the first page of his textbook.
C)   He identifies a suitable mnemonic technique that will help him remember a difficult piece of information.
D)   He periodically tests himself to see if he is sufficiently prepared for the exam.

Question 12

Theorists have offered a number of suggestions regarding how teachers might help students develop better summaries of classroom subject matter. Which one of the strategies below do they not recommend?

Accepted Answer

A)   Have students identify the most important ideas and then find information that supports each idea.
B)   Have students look for and delete ideas that seem relatively trivial.
C)   Begin by having students read exceptionally difficult texts, so that they acquire an appreciation for the value of summarizing.
D)   Have students compare their summaries with one another and discuss their reasons for choosing some ideas as being more important than others.

Question 13

Some students learn a great deal from the things they read; others seem to learn very little. Describe at least five strategies good readers use when they read-strategies that poor readers tend not to use. Using concepts and principles from cognitive psychology, explain why each strategy promotes learning.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Some students learn a great deal from...

Question 14

Three of the following teachers should enhance the quality of notes that students take. Which teacher is unlikely to do so?

Accepted Answer

A)   Ms. Aguilar encourages students to reorganize and elaborate on their notes when they get home from school.
B)   Mr. Bakewell asks students to hold their questions until the end of class.
C)   Mr. Carlson writes important points on the chalkboard.
D)   At the beginning of class, Ms. Drew gives students an outline of the topics for the day.

Question 15

Melissa has an ingenious method for remembering the member countries of the NATO alliance. Using words that rhyme with the numbers 1, 2, 3, and so on, she forms a visual image of each country interacting with a word that rhymes with a number. For example, she pictures a huge bun (which rhymes with "1") sitting on top of Big Ben (Great Britain), a shoe (a rhyme for "2") with a tiny Canadian Mountie (Canada) perched on its toe, a tree (a rhyme for "3") with numerous Statues of Liberty (United States) growing from its branches, and so on. Melissa's technique illustrates the use of:

Accepted Answer

A)   verbal mediation
B)   an external retrieval cue
C)   the pegword method
D)   the method of loci

Question 16

As a teacher, you are concerned that many of your students are learning less than they think they're learning as they read their textbooks. Your best strategy would be to:

Accepted Answer

A)   Have them underline or highlight at least 50% of what they read
B)   Instruct them to read the book two or three times instead of only once
C)   Suggest questions that they can ask themselves as they read
D)   Copy difficult-to-understand sentences in their notebooks

Question 17

Linda approaches you before class and expresses her frustration about having done so poorly on yesterday's exam. "I studied for hours and hours," she tells you. "I guess I'm just not a very good test-taker." You know that your test was a good measure of what you taught your students. You also know that students seldom do poorly on your tests simply because they are poor test takers. Considering the textbook's discussion of study strategies, what other possible explanation might you give Linda as to why she thought she knew the material well yet earned a low test score. And with your explanation in mind, describe two strategies you might teach Linda to help her improve her performance next time.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Linda approaches you before class and expresses...

Question 18

Can study skills be improved through instruction? Research indicates that:

Accepted Answer

A)   It is primarily high-ability students who benefit from study skills training.
B)   Effective study skills do not emerge before formal operations, regardless of instruction.
C)   Study skills training programs are effective even with students in the elementary grades.
D)   Only college students truly benefit from study skills training.

Question 19

Considering trends in metacognitive development, only one of the following statements is accurate. Which one?

Accepted Answer

A)   Learners of all ages generally know the things they know and the things they don't.
B)   Elementary students have a better sense of what they do and don't know than high school students do.
C)   Students tend to know a great many things that they don't realize they know.
D)   Students across the K-12 grade span often think they know things that they really don't know.

Question 20

Which one of the following illustrates how classroom assessment practices might affect students' epistemic beliefs?

Accepted Answer

A)   Susan thinks that "art appreciation" means memorizing paintings and their artists because every test in her art appreciation class asks her to label a series of paintings and identify the painter of each one.
B)   Because Geraldine consistently receives low marks on assignments in her history class, she is convinced that her teacher is "out to get her."
C)   Duncan mistakenly believes that how well he does on his weekly spelling tests will be the determining factor in whether he gets promoted to fourth grade.
D)   Martin has heard that "Mr. Stewart's tests are really picky," so he is very anxious when he prepares for his first test in Mr. Stewart's class.

Exam 14: Metacognition, Self-Regulated Learning, and Study Strategies