This is the first issue of Metacognition and Learning, a new international journal dedicated to the study of metacognition and all its aspects within a broad context of learning processes. Flavell coined the term metacognition in the seventies of the last century (Flavell, 1979) and, since then, a huge amount of research has emanated from his initial efforts. Do we need metacognition as a concept in learning theory? Already in 1978, Brown posed the question whether metacognition was an epiphenomenon. Apparently, she was convinced otherwise as she has been working fruitfully for many years in the area of metacognition. Moreover, a review study by Wang, Haertel, and Walberg (1990) revealed metacognition to be a most powerful predictor of learning. Metacognition matters, but there are many unresolved issues that need further investigation. This introduction will present ten such issues, which are by no means exhaustive. They merely indicate what themes might be relevant to the journal. Definitions of MetacognitionMetacognition was originally referred to as the knowledge about and regulation of one_s cognitive activities in learning processes (

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The terms reading skill and reading strategy are central to how we conceptualize and teach reading. Despite their importance and widespread use, the terms are not consistently used or understood. This article examines the current and historical uses of the terms, defines them, and describes their differences, similarities, and relationships. Implications for teaching reading skills and strategies are discussed.

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In 1917, E. L. Thorndike focused attention on the processes, particularly the reasoning processes, involved in reading. More than 50 years later, following the hiatus imposed by behaviorism, Simons (1971) reemphasized that research should focus more on the reading process than on the product of reading if progress were to be made toward understanding the nature of comprehension. However, observing and understanding the comprehension process seems more easily proposed than actualized. We have generally inferred the process from products, such as differential performance on different comprehension questions, perhaps collected under different conditions.Researchers interested in studying the cognitive processes involved in reading have recently shown interest in the use of verbal reports to gather data on aspects of the reading process (Bridge