The Effect of Integrated Approach-Based Education on Cognitive Flexibility and Metacognitive Skills of Junior High School Students in Qorveh County

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of integrated approach-based education on cognitive flexibility and metacognitive skills of junior high school students in Qorveh County. This study was applied in terms of purpose and experimental in terms of data collection method, with a pretest-posttest design with a control group. The statistical population included all junior high school students in Qorveh County in the academic year 2024-2025, from which 60 students were selected through convenience sampling and were randomly assigned to two groups of 30 (experimental and control groups). Data were collected using the Cognitive Flexibility Inventory by Dennis and Vander Wal and the Metacognitive section of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire by Pintrich and De Groot. The experimental group underwent ten 90-minute sessions of integrated approach-based education, while the control group received regular school training. Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA). The results showed a significant difference between the experimental and control groups in terms of cognitive flexibility and metacognitive skills, and integrated approach-based education led to an increase in these variables in the experimental group. Integrated approach-based education, by providing a rich and dynamic learning environment, can improve students' cognitive flexibility and metacognitive skills, and its application in schools is recommended.