The Impact of Metacognitive Strategy-Supported Intelligent Agents on the Quality of Collaborative Learning from the Perspective of the Community of Inquiry

This study investigates how students interact with intelligent agents based on metacognitive strategies, and the changes in metacognitive levels within AI-supported collaborative learning environments. It was conducted in naturalistic learning settings, involving 24 college students and lasting approximately two months. The students’ metacognitive survey data and their reflective essays on interactions with AI agents were analyzed using descriptive statistical analysis and epistemic network analysis, based on the community of inquiry framework and metacognitive theory. The results show that AI agents providing metacognitive strategy support effectively improve learners’ metacognitive levels. The change in metacognitive level of learners is related to their perceived teaching and cognitive existence. This study contributes to and has implications for the educational implementation of intelligent agents, as well as the facilitation and graphical representation of learner-AI interactions in educational settings.