Most studies on metalearning and metacognition have focused on undergraduates where reflective and active awareness of learning practices and achievements, or metalearning, has been seen to be useful, indeed essential for the learning achievement of undergraduates (Biggs et al., 2001; Veenman & Verheig, 2003). This paper reports on the latest development in action research carried out at Anglia Polytechnic University for the last seven years and concentrates on developing and supporting the successful research-as-learning of international postgraduates studying at a distance. It argues that students encouraged to develop metalearning through reflection upon results of the Reflections on Learning Inventory (RoLI) (Meyer & Boulton-Lewis, 1997), supervisory dialogues from groups and research development workshops are likely to achieve success in their research as learning, while others who are less able to develop metalearning are less successful.