Developing Metacognative Skills in Young Children—The Effects of a Specific Instructional Program

Abstract

This study examined whether certain metacognitive skills involved in critical and creative thinking could be enhanced in five-year-old children (Year 1) of an urban primary school in the south-west of England following training. The instructional model used—Talents Unlimited— claims to teach young children how to think. Three tasks of critical and creative thinking were presented to children in the control (N=24) and experimental (N=24) groups. The results revealed significant differences between the two groups, with the children in the experimental group scoring higher on each measure. No significant differences for gender, literacy, numeracy, or self-esteem were found. The findings suggest that young children's metacognitive skills, specifically in creative and critical thinking, are sensitive to different instructional approaches used by teachers.