Investigating the Relationship between Metacognition and STREAM Education in Science: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

Metacognition and STREAM (Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering and Math) education are indisputable in today’s informational society for both personal and professional development. The current study aims to investigate the potential relationship between these two variables. Although there is not yet a substantial theoretical background that integrates both concepts into a coherent perspective, research on this topic can provide relevant insights on how to analyze and incorporate these concepts into a consistent theoretical and empirical paradigm. For this purpose, 3rd year students who are preparing themselves to become primary and preschool teachers participated in the study. They were given an online link to a self-reported measure of metacognition in science (the MAI scale) and an assessment task that measured how well they integrate STREAM knowledge with science-related topics. Data analysis revealed a significant relationship between metacognition and STREAM knowledge in science education. Moreover, it seems that metacognition is a significant predictor of STREAM knowledge. The results of this study are highly valuable in the context of the scarcity of research on this topic, being a starting point for the development of a theoretical perspective to explain the metacognition - STREAM education relationship.