Metacognitive awareness plays a crucial role in successful problem-solving, particularly through the interaction between cognitive knowledge and cognitive regulation. This study aims to describe how these two aspects interact in reflective and impulsive students when solving ill-structured problems with multiple solutions, incomplete information, and the need to interpret and select strategies. This study used a descriptive qualitative approach with two ninth-grade students chosen through purposive sampling. Data were collected through cognitive style tests, ill-structured problem tests, interviews, and documentation. The data were analyzed using triangulation techniques, including methodological and temporal triangulation. The results show distinct interaction patterns between cognitive knowledge and cognitive regulation in reflective and impulsive students. Reflective students integrated declarative, procedural, and conditional knowledge systematically across planning, monitoring, and evaluation stages. In contrast, impulsive students demonstrated fragmented interactions, characterized by direct execution without thorough analysis, limited monitoring, and minimal consideration of conditional aspects. These differences indicate that cognitive style influences the quality and balance of interaction between cognitive knowledge and cognitive regulation during problem solving. This finding emphasizes the need to strengthen cognitive regulation abilities so that students can think more flexibly and adaptively in solving ill-structured problems.
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