Setting-based Metacognitive Strategy Use (Focusing on MSU by Cadets)

This article aims to explore a context-bound and methodologicallyoriented metacognitive strategy use (MSU). To this end, two major questions were raised. The study was carried out in the Iranian educational context conventionally categorized into three settings of: authoritarian, semi-democratic and democratic, due to the varying existing educational policies and planning. The participants (N=180), homogenized based of their scores on TOEFL, answered the Metacognitive Strategy Questionnaire by Item Type (MSQIT) (Purpura, 1999) version of the Strategy Inventory of Language Learning (SILL) and Good Language Learner's Questionnaire (GLLQ), and did two language tasks accompanied with a videotaped think-aloud protocol on MSU. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses were run. The findings revealed unexpected results in a sense that some underlying aspects attributed to MSU were explored which confirmed the fact that conventional quantitative statistical analysis relying on just statistical significance cannot be convincing enough to explore the construct of cognitive phenomena. This study not only showed some statistical significance of MSU in relation to educational setting type but also the qualitative approach led to the exploration of certain substrategies and cognitive processing unprecedented in the related literature. The findings also showed that certain subcategories of metacognitive strategies (MS) are more context-bound than the others, confirming the effects of educational setting type on both quantity and quality of MSU. The implications of the study are of both theoretical and practical in nature on: (1) the nature of MS, (2) research methods, (3) curriculum development, (4) classroom management, and (5) individualized instructions. Furthermore, the findings cast light on language curriculum development in general and in military settings in particular.