The role of team dynamics and team acquaintance in group metacognition during medical students' collaborative learning

Background Group metacognition, the capacity to reflect on a group's cognitive processes, including awareness of other members' information organization, planning, and efforts for improvement, plays a critical role in collaborative learning efficacy. In medical education, group metacognition supports students in discussing clinical cases, recognizing peers' diagnostic reasoning, and jointly evaluating their team's approach to patients care. However, factors influencing group metacognitive competency remain underexplored among medical students. We hypothesized that in collaborative learning, team dynamics, team acquaintance, and instructor support may influence group metacognition.Methods In 2021, we recruited medical students from National Taiwan University College of Medicine who participated in a collaborative learning curriculum. We measured the influence of team acquaintance, team dynamics, and instructor support on group metacognition using the Team Collaboration Survey (TCS) and the Group Metacognitive Scale (GMS). Data were analyzed using partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).Results A total of 454 medical students (2nd year, 33.0%; 3rd year, 31.5%; 4th year, 35.5%) were recruited, and 432 (95.2%) completed the survey. PLS-SEM validated three TCS dimensions (team acquaintance, team dynamics, and instructor support) and four GMS dimensions (knowledge of cognition, planning, evaluating, and monitoring). Path analyses revealed significant correlations between both team acquaintance and team dynamics with all four group metacognitive dimensions. However, instructor support showed no significant correlation with metacognitive knowledge and skills.Conclusions Strong team dynamics and acquaintance may enhance both metacognitive knowledge and regulation in medical students. Instructors should focus on cultivating interactive group environments that promote effective collaboration. Strategies to strengthen team familiarity and interaction may enhance group metacognition in medical education