Discovering the Relationship: Self-Efficacy, Metacognitive Awareness, and Science Learning Processes in Indonesian Science Classrooms^*1

This study aimed to analyze students’ profiles using the Self-Efficacy Metacognition Learning Inventory – Science (SEMLI-S) based on gender and grade level, and to explore the relationship between self-efficacy, metacognitive awareness, and science learning processes. The research involved 221 junior high school students in Indonesia, aged 13 to 16, from Grades 7 to 9. The SEMLI-S instrument demonstrated strong internal consistency, with Cronbach’s alpha values above 0.60. The overall average of students’ metacognitive orientation was 68.4%, categorized as «Very Good.» In terms of gender, female students scored slightly higher (70.08%) than males (68.2%), both within the «Very Good» category. Based on grade level, Ninth-Grade students showed the highest score (75.5%), followed by Seventh-Grade (71.1%), while Eighth-Grade was slightly lower at 67.6%, categorized as «Good.» The findings emphasize the importance of personalized interventions that account for students’ developmental stages. The study also highlights the need to integrate metacognitive training into science education and underlines the educator’s role in fostering reflective and self-regulated learning. The study enhances understanding of how curriculum and teaching strategies can strengthen metacognition and self-efficacy in science.