Investigation of Metacognitive Strategy Tendencies of Students in Science Course within the Scope of Support and Training Courses

Support and training courses (STCs) within the scope of non-formal education, it is aimed to increase students' course success; however, the direction in which students' perceptions of motivational components change in this process is not taken into account. The present study is dedicated to examining the longitudinal trends of students' perceptions of metacognitive learning strategies (MLS) within the context of science lessons during the summer term. A total of 622 students (51.6% female; 48.4% male) from four different secondary schools were involved in the research, which utilized the relational screening model. The findings indicate a significant longitudinal increase in students' tendencies to use MLS. Additionally, the intergroup analysis comparing female and male students revealed no significant difference in MLS scores between the two groups. The rise in students' MLS scores without any instructional intervention indicates that choice-based STCs increase students' active engagement in learning tasks and encourages motivational processes related to the course. This underscores students' active control of cognitive strategies during learning and upon completion of tasks. The results show that students need to benefit more from non-formal and informal learning environments for science classes. Expanding the inclusiveness of STCs by including students with high learning losses, declining interest in science courses, and socioeconomic disadvantages may increase homogeneity among students regarding academic competencies. Therefore, policymakers should consider integrating metacognition and associated learning strategies into routine science education by devising processes that facilitate this integration in curricula and teacher education.