Diagnostics of the reflexive skills at the metacognitive level of the reflexive competence

Psychology

Abstract

A system of the metacognitive skills is an important component of the individual reflective competence, which controls the subject’s intellectual activity in the process of complicated problems solving. The purpose of this research is to develop psychodiagnostic method, which determines the level of development of the subject’s metacognitive skills. We have proposed a method for the diagnostics of these reflective skills: 1) to form and analyze a model of the problem; 2) to control one’s own emotional state; 3) to assess adequately one’s own intellectual skills and limits; 4) to plan the process of problem solving; 5) to organize the process of problem solving while consciously controlling its course; 6) to form oriented points in the search process of the solutions; 7) to predict possible mistakes and difficulties. Used verification procedures showed high reliability of this method on indicators of the reliability-consistency and reliability-sustainability. We tested the criterion validityon following external criteria (age, gender and learning achievement in high school), and obtained the significant differences in the groups, which vary according to these criteria. For example, we found out that with the age the level of development of metacognitive skills (forming and analyzing a model of the problem, controlling an emotional state, forming reference points in the search process to compare the results) increases. Thus, this research allowed us to specify the classification of reflective skills marking out three levels of organization of the reflective competence: cognitive, metacognitive and personal. The system of metacognitive skills includes skills that provide the conscious control above the subject’s intellectual activity.