The interplay between metacognitive and self-assessment skills of mathematics teachers as learners in online problem-solving forums

Metacognition and self-assessment (SA) play a significant role in teachers’ professional learning. However, little is known about the interrelationship between these two constructs among teachers, particularly in their role as learners in technology-based contexts. The study goal is to characterize the interplay between metacognitive and SA skills of in-service mathematics teachers who systematically take part in online problem-solving forums (PSFs) as learners. Employing a qualitative approach, the study focuses on two groups of secondary school mathematics teachers (10 participants total) who took part in a 2-year academic professional learning program that included a geometry course. As one of the course requirements, the teachers worked in groups of five to solve three challenging geometry problems. The course instructor provided metacognitive guidance as needed throughout the process. The main data consisted of six PSF threads (three for each group), with posts in the threads serving as the analysis units. Each post directly related to the problem-solving process was assigned a code based on components of metacognition or SA. Findings suggest that although the course instructor’s interventions faded over time, all PSFs were rich with metacognitive and SA assertions. This study elaborates on the complex relationship between metacognition and SA, with each construct mutually influencing and enhancing the other. The findings suggest that while metacognition and SA can operate as dynamically interacting processes, they also have the capacity to converge. The study further underscores the significance of online PSFs, indicating their potential as a setting for supporting teachers’ metacognitive and SA skills.