Integrating digital tools for qualitative literature reviews: an example applied to educators’ metacognitive skills *1,2

Abstract Metacognition plays a key role in teaching and learning processes. Consequently, educators must understand their own metacognitive processes to effectively guide and support students in developing their own metacognitive skills. This systematic literature review investigates educators’ metacognitive skills in problem-solving scenarios focusing on how digital tools can enhance research methodologies. Start, Iramuteq, and webQDA, were used to refine and facilitate the literature review process, allowing us to map and analyze articles retrieved from databases like ERIC, ScienceDirect, and Scopus. A total of 233 articles were identified based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, and subsequently narrowed to 60 articles for an in-depth qualitative, exploratory, and interpretive analysis. Our analysis revealed a significant lack of empirical studies addressing educators’ metacognitive skills, highlighting the need for further research in this area. Integrating digital tools in planning, organizing, and validating research processes proved to be effective, underlying their value in managing systematic reviews and facilitating informed decision-making. This approach both streamlined the literature review process and provided valuable insights into the current research landscape regarding educators’ metacognitive skills. Moreover, we underscore the potential of these digital tools to support future investigations into the role of educators in fostering metacognitive skills during problem-solving.