The Effect of Individual and Social Metacognitive Support on Students’ Metacognitive Performances in an Online Discussion

Our research examined the effect of the Meta-CIC model on students’ metacognitive
performances in an online discussion. This model embeds individual and social metacognitive
support within an inquiry computer-supported collaborative learning
(CSCL) environment. The research population consisted of 150 high-achieving
7th- and 8th-grade students who were divided into four research groups, according
to the instructional method to which they were exposed. An online discussion forum
accompanied the students’ inquiry process. The results indicate that the individual
metacognitive support significantly affected students’ online metacognitive performances,
while the social metacognitive support increased the students’ involvement in
their peers’ learning processes, and enabled them to collaborate in the CSCL. We
therefore recommend embedding the Meta-CIC model in a CSCL environment as a
means to develop students’ online metacognitive performances.