A shared metacognition-focused instructional design model for online collaborative learning environments

This study advances the emerging research on shared metacognition through the lens of the community of inquiry framework. It seeks components and utterances of the community of inquiry and shared metacognition in online collaborative learning environments to bring an instructional design model to the fore. A three-cycle design-based research method was followed in two cases of university students by triangulating the quantitative and qualitative data sources. A coding scheme, the shared metacognition questionnaire, the community of inquiry questionnaire and one-to-one and focus-group interview protocols were used as data collection tools. Quantitative data were interpreted through descriptive, inferential statistics, and an open/selective coding process interpreted qualitative data. The findings pointed out that the community of inquiry framework presented a powerful theoretical ground to investigate and distinguish cognitive, social, and teaching presence episodes from shared metacognition episodes. Orientation-planning, monitoring, and evaluation-reflection were proved as three main components of the shared metacognition construct in online collaborative learning settings. This study further advances the specification of each shared metacognition component from the group-related regulative actions and task-related regulatory actions. Moreover, a set of six instructional design principles within an instructional design model that combines the components of shared metacognition were put forward. These guidelines are intended to aid practitioners and instructional designers in the development of online collaborative learning activities.