Abstract
This study aimed to explore metacognitive skills that learners in the Junior Primary (JP) phase possess and how these skills can be enhanced for learners to solve word problem-solving tasks effectively in the early years from grades 0-3 in Namibia. The research was motivated by the performance in the National Standardised Assessment Tests (NSAT) 2018 results where 46% of learners in grade five performed poorly in Mathematics, particularly in the problem-solving component (Ministry of Education, Arts, and Culture [NSAT] 2019). A qualitative case study was conducted to answer the questions interpretively from the participants’ real-life experiences with the phenomenon and to ensure that the aims and objectives of the study were achieved. In this study, the major role players were learners in grades one (1) to three (3); with grade 5 learners posing as a referral point of learners’ problem-solving profile. The data was collected through document analysis and focused group interviews involving learners in grades 1 to 3. The research findings concluded that the problem of learners not performing well in the NSAT around problem-solving tasks does not only start at grade five (5) but much earlier in learners’ school years which is grade one (1) to grade three (3). If learners in the early years of schooling at the JP phase have low metacognition skills, this means that the skills will not develop as they grow and their mathematics acquisition skills will diminish with time. The study highlighted that the majority of learners in the Junior Primary phase have weak metacognition skills as they fail to plan, monitor, and evaluate their solutions when tackling problem-solving activities. The study recommends that to develop learners’ metacognition, teachers should involve learners in problem-solving activities that raise their self-awareness and enhance their motives as well as abilities to tackle demanding mathematical tasks that promote active learning.