METACOGNITIVE SKILLS OF CHILDREN (7-12 YEARS) IN THE MAMFE CENTRAL SUB-DIVISION, CAMEROON

Metacognition is the capacity to reflect on one’s thoughts and behaviours. It plays a crucial role in self-control, self-instruction, memory, and problem-solving. Flavell (1979) and Piaget stated that young children are quite limited in their metacognition. They do little monitoring of their cognitive endeavours. However, recent studies show children display metacognition as early as three years old. These findings broaden our understanding of early metacognitive development. Still, significant gaps remain in the literature about how children in late childhood (aged 7-12 years), especially in African contexts, show metacognitive skills in daily activities. Few existing studies provide detailed accounts of how these older children express planning, monitoring, and evaluation in real-world contexts such as household chores. This study addresses this gap by investigating metacognitive skills during late childhood (7-12 years) and their relationship with gender among children in the Manyu Division. Quantitative data were collected from 250 children. Children reflected on their engagement in household chores, and their skill levels in planning, monitoring, and evaluation were assessed through structured interviews. The Spearman rank correlation and Mann-Whitney U test were used to test the hypotheses. Results revealed that age positively correlated with metacognitive skills in planning and evaluation, but not monitoring. There was no significant difference between boys and girls. Parental criticism had a strong influence on children's monitoring skills. Metacognition was supported by guidance from both parents and teachers. Teaching models should prompt ongoing task monitoring with continuous support to foster critical self-evaluation and adjustment.