Abstract
This meta-analysis examines the effects of metacognitive instruction on mathematics achievement by investigating several potential moderator variables. Consistent with the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses guidelines, a systematic search across Web of Science, Scopus, and ERIC produced 34 eligible studies. Following the screening and quality assessment using the Joanna Briggs Institute checklist, a total of 34 studies involving 13,805 participants were included in the analysis. Effect sizes were calculated in Jamovi using a random-effects model, reporting standardized mean differences (Hedges’s g) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The findings indicate a large and statistically significant positive effect of metacognitive instruction on mathematics achievement (g = .87, 95% CI [.72, 1.02]). Among the moderators examined, educational level (p > .05), student characteristics (p > .05), question type (p > .05), mathematics content area (p > .05), instructional medium (p > .05), and metacognitive strategy type (p > .05) showed no statistically significant moderating effects. However, sample size (p < .05) and intervention duration p < .05) exhibited significant moderation effects.
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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Article Type: Literature Review
EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed, Volume 22, Issue 12, December 2026, Article No: em2967
https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/19955
Publication date: 15 Nov 2026
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