EFFECTIVENESS OF AN INSTRUCTIONAL MANUAL FOR FOSTERING METACOGNITIVE SKILLS AND REFLECTIVE PRACTICES AMONG GRADE 8 STUDENTS WITH HEARING IMPAIRMENT

Abstract

This study examined the effectiveness of a structured instructional manual developed to foster metacognitive skills and reflective practices among Grade 8 students with hearing impairment. A quasi-experimental pre-test-post-test control-group design was employed. One public-sector special education school was selected through convenience sampling, and two intact Grade 8 sections were randomly allocated to an experimental group (n = 16) and a control group (n = 16). The experimental group received a 12-week classroom intervention comprising 35 strategies and activities related to planning, monitoring, evaluating, reflection-in-action, and reflection-on-action, while the control group continued routine instruction. Outcomes were assessed through the Metacognitive Skills Scale for Hearing Impaired and the Reflective Practices Questionnaire. No statistically significant pre-test differences were found in metacognitive skills, t(30) = -1.548, p = .132, or reflective practices, t(30) = -1.557, p = .130. At post-test, the experimental group obtained significantly higher mean scores than the control group in metacognitive skills (3.74 vs. 2.93, p < .001) and reflective practices (3.72 vs. 2.95, p < .001). It also achieved larger mean gains in metacognitive skills (1.25 vs. .60) and reflective practices (1.11 vs. .51). Although both groups improved, the magnitude of improvement was considerably greater in the experimental group. Within the participating setting, the findings support sustained, explicit, activity-based, and communication-accessible instruction for strengthening metacognitive and reflective learning among students with hearing impairment.