How can metacognitive calibration be improved?
Metacognitive calibration is the degree to which a learner's judgment of what they know matches actual performance.
Core approach and implementation process
Rereading creates fluency and familiarity that may inflate judgments. Predicting before seeing an answer and then retrieving without cues lets learners compare belief with evidence. Overconfidence can stop study too early, while underconfidence can cause abandonment of effective strategies. Calibration is not a fixed trait measured by one test.
Classroom practice, monitoring and cautions
After brief practice, confidence and actual accuracy are recorded and compared over time. Feedback explains error type and next action as well as the answer. Delayed tests reveal retention more realistically than immediate tests. The goal is not chronic doubt but study decisions grounded in reliable evidence.