Which statement defines metacognition?

• A. The awareness and understanding of one's own thought processes.
• B. A concept or framework that organizes and interprets information
• C. The extension of newly learned behaviors from one setting to various other settings
• D. In Vygotsky's theory, the range between present level of knowledge and potential knowledge state if given guidance

Answer: (A)

Metacognition is thinking about your own thinking—being aware of what you know, how you learn, and how you regulate your thinking to learn better. It involves planning a strategy before a task, monitoring your understanding as you work, and adjusting your approach if you’re not grasping the material. This kind of self-awareness and self-regulation helps learners, including those using assistive technologies or different access methods, choose the right tools and strategies (like when to use a screen reader, adjust font size, or slow down for comprehension) and check whether they actually understand the content.

The other ideas describe different cognitive concepts: one refers to an organized way of interpreting information; another is about applying what you’ve learned in new situations; and the last describes a developmental idea about what someone can achieve with guidance.