Reimagining Education to Improve Metacognitive and Socioemotional Skills for the 21st Century

The education field today is navigating through an era marked by technological advancements, globalization, and evolving societal demands. Current educational paradigms stress the necessity of integrating innovative teaching methodologies, quality learning experiences, and transformative technologies. Simultaneously, there is a pressing need to emphasize metacognitive and socioemotional skills, which enhance an individual's capacity to self-regulate, think reflectively, and form meaningful interpersonal connections.

Recent studies highlight the growing importance of metacognitive skills such as self-regulation, reflective thinking, and learning to learn, establishing these as integral components for lifelong intellectual growth. Concurrently, the cultivation of socioemotional skills – including empathy, collaboration, and resilience – equips learners to successfully navigate unpredictability and form robust professional and personal relationships. As learners of today face an ever-changing environment, it becomes imperative to transform education to develop the competencies of individuals to thrive in dynamic and unpredictable environments. In this context, educational quality is redefined. It is no longer limited to academic achievement but encompasses the ability to develop holistic learners who are critically engaged, emotionally intelligent, and adaptable to change.

This Research Topic aims to examine how educational institutions are reimagining their structures and processes to suit the modern era. Furthermore, it aims to investigate how quality education can be redefined beyond conventional academic benchmarks, how innovative and technological solutions are appropriately implemented, and how metacognitive and socioemotional skillsets are integrated into curricula. We seek contributions from academics and professionals alike, focusing on empirical research and practical applications, related to curriculum reform, technological innovations, teacher training models, or policy development. We welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

• Curriculum innovation and reforms to enhance students’ metacognitive and socioemotional competencies;
• Integration of digital technologies that scaffold metacognitive strategy use and promote socioemotional regulation in the classroom;
• Design and validation of assessment frameworks for measuring domain-specific metacognitive skills;
• Evidence-based strategies for embedding socioemotional learning objectives within curricular units and teacher professional development;
• Policy proposals for holistic education models that institutionalize metacognitive and socioemotional development as core indicators of quality.

Ultimately, this Research Topic aspires to enrich the discourse on educational transformation by incorporating diverse perspectives that champion a more human-cantered, future-ready, and resilient education system. Contributions may include qualitative, quantitative, or theoretical research, drawing from real-world experiences and insights from various educational settings.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Conceptual Analysis
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Conceptual Analysis
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Registered Report
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Curriculum Innovation, Metacognitive Skills, Socioemotional Learning, Educational Technology, Holistic Education

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.