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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Educ.
Sec. Higher Education
Volume 10 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/feduc.2025.1503034
Metacognitive awareness of pharmacists at different stages of the educational continuum: a comparative study
Provisionally accepted
Sergey P. Zavadskiy 1*
Maria Materenchuk 1
Susanna S. Sologova 1
Galina Yu. Bazanova 2
Mergalyas M. Kashapov 3 Ludmila A. Korol 1
Alexander A. Evgrafov 1 Elena A. Smolyarchuk 1- 1 Institute of Pharmacy, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia
- 2 Yaroslavl State Medical Academy, Yaroslavl, Russia
- 3 P.G. Demidov Yaroslavl State University, Yaroslavl, Russia
This study investigates the metacognitive awareness of pharmacy students and pharmacists at various educational stages. We compare metacognitive indicators among 2nd and 5th-year students from Sechenov University Institute of Pharmacy and pharmacists undergoing additional professional education at Sechenov University Institute of Postgraduate Education. Metacognitive awareness was assessed using the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory, Evaluation of Metacognitive Knowledge and Activity, and a self-reflection scale. Significant differences were found between 2nd and 5th-year students' metacognitive awareness, with 5th-year students showing higher levels of metacognitive knowledge. Pharmacists undergoing additional education displayed higher metacognitive awareness than undergraduate students, with differences observed in declarative and procedural knowledge, error control, and evaluation. Cognitive and regulatory metacognitive indicators develop throughout the educational continuum, emphasizing the need to cultivate reflexive qualities in future pharmacists. Tailored approaches for improving metacognitive abilities among pharmaceutical specialists are essential. Further exploration of the motivational aspect of metacognitive awareness in pharmacy education is warranted.
Keywords: metacognitive awareness, metacognitive knowledge, Metacognitive activity, Selfreflection, social reflection, Pharmaceutical education
Received: 27 Sep 2024; Accepted: 11 Mar 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zavadskiy, Materenchuk, Sologova, Bazanova, Kashapov, Korol, Evgrafov and Smolyarchuk. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Sergey P. Zavadskiy, Institute of Pharmacy, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia
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