Metacognitive training of children’s curiosity in schools: investigating a teacher-led intervention

Curiosity-driven learning is crucial for academic achievement and autonomous learning, yet remains scarce in primary classrooms. While metacognitive interventions can foster curiosity in schools, their scalability depends on both student outcomes and teacher implementation. This study evaluates the effectiveness and scalability of a multimedia-based metacognitive intervention designed to foster curiosity-driven learning in 9-10 year-old students. The metacognitive intervention consists of two parts: a declarative knowledge module about curiosity and metacognition and a procedural training of four metacognitive strategies for curiosity-driven learning: identifying knowledge gaps, making predictions, formulating questions, and evaluating answers. Three main conditions were compared (N=155): an intervention led by either researchers or trained in-service teachers, and a control group. Additionally complete and partial versions of the intervention were contrasted. Student outcomes were assessed quantitatively; teacher experience and acceptance were assessed qualitatively. Results showed that intervention groups significantly improved their question-asking abilities and developed more positive perceptions of curiosity compared to the control group. However, teacher-led conditions showed lower performance during the intervention and poorer learning outcomes, alongside higher cognitive load. Teachers rated the intervention highly on acceptability and usefulness, but lower on usability, citing complexity of concepts and digital interface challenges. Impact of lower usability reports on students’ performance is discussed. Findings demonstrate metacognitive interventions can enhance curiosity-driven learning in authentic classroom settings, but successful scaling requires strengthened teacher training in both pedagogical concepts and digital tool implementation.