Effects of a Self‐Regulated Cooperative Programming Approach on Elementary Students' Programming Knowledge, Metacognitive Awareness, and Self‐Efficacy

ABSTRACT Background Programming is a vital digital skill that can equip students with the necessary competencies for future employment opportunities. However, due to inadequate metacognitive awareness, self‐regulation abilities, and a lack of prior programming knowledge, elementary school students may struggle with completing complex programming tasks. Objectives We aim to propose a self‐regulated cooperative programming (SR‐CoP) approach. While exploring the effectiveness of the approach in students' programming knowledge, metacognitive awareness, and self‐efficacy. Methods Participants were 113 fourth graders (54 males, 59 females). Their ages ranged from 10 to 11 years. They were randomly assigned to three groups: the control group using individual programming (C‐IdP), experimental group 1 employing SR‐CoP, and experimental group 2 employing conventional cooperative programming (C‐CoP). Results The SR‐CoP approach significantly enhanced students' metacognitive awareness and self‐efficacy compared to the other groups. Regarding programming knowledge, no statistically significant difference were found among the three groups, suggesting that SR‐CoP supports non‐cognitive outcomes without compromising domain knowledge acquisition. Conclusions By employing self‐regulation strategies, students engage in planning, self‐monitoring, and self‐reflection during project completion and cooperative programming activities. This practice is advantageous for enhancing elementary students' metacognitive awareness and self‐efficacy.