Metacognitive Calibration Deficits and Formative Assessment Uptake in Secondary-Level STEM Classrooms: An Empirical Analysis Across Socioeconomically Stratified Schools in Urban South Korea

Abstract

This study empirically examines the relationship between metacognitive calibration accuracy and the effective uptake of formative assessment feedback among secondary-level STEM learners in socioeconomically stratified urban schools in South Korea. Employing a mixed-methods design across 14 schools (n = 1,247 students, Grades 9–11), the research integrates the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (MAI), classroom observation protocols, and multilevel regression modelling to identify calibration deficit patterns that systematically undermine feedback integration. Findings indicate that learners exhibiting overconfidence-based miscalibration demonstrate significantly lower formative feedback uptake (β = −0.41, p < .001), an effect amplified in low-SES school cohorts. Teacher assessment literacy emerged as a robust moderating variable. The study concludes with actionable pedagogical recommendations for calibration-targeted instructional scaffolding within differentiated STEM curricula.