Self- and Socially-Shared Metacognitive Regulation and Engagement in Online Collaborative Discussions

Abstract

The purpose of this study was twofold. First, the study developed two survey instruments that measured students' metacognitive practice and social and emotional engagement in online collaborative discussions. Both instruments were developed by modifying from existing scales and empirical studies. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was employed to extract the underlying factors revealed by both instruments. The results of the study demonstrated that metacognitive practice in online collaborative discussions (MP-OCD) could be separated into four factors, while social and emotional engagement in online collaborative discussions (SEE-OCD) could be extracted into two factors. Second, the study used validated survey instruments to characterize college students' online collaborative discussion profiles. The results showed that four clusters of online collaborative discussion profiles were identified. This study has significant implications for educators who wish to improve students' metacognitive regulation and social and emotional engagement in online collaborative discussions.