Relationships between metacognition, creativity, and critical thinking in self-reported teaching performances in project-based learning settings

The integration of 21st-century skills (e.g., critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and metacognition) in teaching is essential for the quality of education and to prepare students for the challenges of 21st-century skills. One teaching method that can improve these skills among students is project-based learning (PBL). However, teachers themselves should be proficient in these skills to achieve this goal. The present study focuses on three skills: metacognition, creativity, and critical thinking, which are considered cognition-related 21st-century skills; integrating them in PBL settings may improve teaching and learning performances. This study aims to examine whether and in what way there are relationships between components of metacognition, creativity, and critical thinking in self-reported teaching performance (SRTP) in PBL settings. To examine the research questions, we analyzed 29 journals in which teachers described a project they had planned, which was carried out by students using a mixed-method design model. All participants were home-room teachers who teach various subjects. Their years of experience ranged from one to thirty-two years. We used an SRTP index we developed for this study. The index measures meta-cognition, creativity, and critical thinking of teaching in PBL settings. The results show significant associations between metacognition, creativity, and critical thinking and revealed that these correlations are reflected the most in projects engaging in environmental issues. These results emphasize the importance of metacognition, creativity, and critical thinking combinations in PBL settings and underpin the connection between 21st-century skills and environmental education.