Promoting socially shared metacognitive regulation in collaborative project-based learning: a framework for the design of structured guidance

Despite the emergence of collaborative project-based learning in higher education settings, how it can be supported has received little attention. We noted the positive impact of socially shared metacognitive regulation on students' collaboration processes. The purpose of this study was to present a framework for the design and implementation of socially shared metacognitive regulation supports. We (a) proposed a framework for designing guidance for socially shared metacognitive regulation and (b) implemented the design as collaboration scripts. An empirical study was conducted to validate the framework by examining the effect of collaboration script on 32 students' interactions in a real setting. Data included 2695 utterances resulting from participants' team discussions. The results indicated that the collaboration scripts used to support socially shared metacognitive regulation positively influenced participants' interactions regarding team planning and knowledge construction. The findings provide validation for the suggested framework. Implications for research and practice were also discussed.