Metacognition in Immersive Web Environments co-Created by Students

The aim of this study is to understand how the co-creation and personalisation of immersive web environments (IWE) by elementary school students can promote the development of metacognitive and self-regulation cognitive skills. Students in the seventh grade took part in the study. The intervention took place in three stages: ideation (conception of the IWE), construction (development of the IWE), and utilisation (the IWE was used as a classroom). Two instruments translated, adapted and validated for Portuguese students in this age group were used: version B of the Jr. Metacognition Awareness Inventory (Jr. MAI), and the Self-Regulated Learning Strategies section of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ), which were applied at four different times: Phase 0, before the intervention; Phase 1, after the IWE had been devised, Phase 2, after it had been constructed and Phase 3, after the IWE had been used. The number of participants varied over the four phases: Phase 1 (n = 37), Phase 1 (n = 35), Phase 2 (n = 36), and Phase 3 (n = 20). The results showed a positive trend in the development of metacognition, the use of cognitive strategies and self-regulation, especially in the ideation phase, where there were the highest Jr. MAI values and an increase in self-regulation throughout the process. Despite limitations, the study demonstrated the potential of co-creation as a strategy to promote critical reflection, autonomy, and student motivation. The results suggest that the integration of active methodologies in IWE, co-created and personalised by students, can promote the development of metacognitive skills at these ages.