ABSTRACT

Purpose: This study aimed to revise and validate the State Metacognitive Inventory for application among upper primary school students in Zhejiang Province, China. The objective was to develop an instrument that is both culturally appropriate and developmentally suitable for assessing children's metacognitive skills. Design/Methodology/Approach: The original inventory was translated and adapted through expert evaluation and pilot testing. Following linguistic and contextual adjustments, the revised 21-item scale was administered to 231 students in Years 5 and 6 across five schools representing diverse regions within Zhejiang. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) were employed to assess the scale's reliability and validity. Findings: The revised scale demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = .944) and effectively distinguished between varying levels of metacognitive skills. EFA identified a three-factor structure—Cautiousness, Confidence, and Introspection—replacing the original four-factor model. Although the new model showed superior overall model fit (e.g., RMSEA = .044, CFI = .965), challenges remained in terms of convergent and discriminant validity, particularly within the Introspection dimension. These limitations may be attributable to the abstract nature of metacognitive constructs and the developmental stage of the target population.  Implications: Despite issues related to validity, the revised scale functions as a reliable tool for the rapid assessment of metacognitive skills among Chinese primary school students. It lays the groundwork for future theoretical refinement and supports the localisation of cross-cultural measurement instruments. Originality/Value: This study offers a culturally grounded framework for evaluating metacognitive development in Chinese children and provides empirical direction for enhancing the psychometric quality of metacognitive inventories tailored to younger learners.