A recent study by Xu and colleagues investigated the impact of metacognitive support on self-regulated learning (SRL) and learning experiences within generative AI (GenAI) environments. The study addressed concerns about students’ reliance on ChatGPT and the challenges they face in sustaining SRL without guidance.
Participants included 68 sophomore students in a university in China, aged 19–21, majoring in Educational Technology, who had no prior experience with GenAI tools in classroom tasks. The students were randomly divided into two groups: the experimental group received a metacognitive support framework, while the control group did not. Delivered on paper to reduce distractions, the framework encouraged planning, monitoring, and reflecting during tasks, with prompts like setting clear goals, evaluating ChatGPT’s feedback, and reflecting on task performance. Over a four-week period, the participants completed interdisciplinary tasks that integrated knowledge from multiple subjects.
Based on self-report questionnaires, the experimental group demonstrated significant improvements in two of six SRL abilities: in task strategies (ES = +0.69) and self-evaluation (ES = +0.53), while the control group exhibited declines in these areas. Students with metacognitive support also reported lower cognitive load and perceived AI tools as more useful, although these findings were not statistically significant. Academic performance gains were higher in the experimental group (ES = +0.36) but the difference was not statistically significant.
This study suggests that metacognitive support helps students engage with AI tools and develop active learning. Without such guidance, students experience a decline in self-regulation skills which could undermine learning autonomy.
Source: Xu, X., Qiao, L., Cheng, N., Liu, H., & Zhao, W. (2025). Enhancing self-regulated learning and learning experience in generative AI environments: The critical role of metacognitive support. British Journal of Educational Technology, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13599