Classroom interaction and metacognition by ‘enculturation’ of thinking in early education

Abstract

This case study explores the impact of a thinking-based teacher training and professional development programme on the quality of classroom interactions and on students’ metacognitive capacity in early childhood education and elementary first-grade classrooms. The study was conducted in a Spanish school, and the sample comprised 13 educators and 117 students aged 4 to 7 years old. The self-assessment scale of cultural forces for the promotion of thinking was used to analyze the change in the self-perception of teachers after the completion of the thinking-based training programme. The Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) was used to assess teacher–student interactions, and the drawing-telling technique was used to analyze students’ metacognitive capacity. The results reveal that the thinking-based teacher training improved their self-assessment as teachers that promote thinking, enhance the quality of classroom interactions (organisation and learning support), and develop children’s metacognitive processes. These findings indicate that a culture of thinking helps to develop key skills for twenty-first-century teachers and students.