Thinking Routines and Meaningful Learning
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55204/trc.v5i1.e500Keywords:
Thinking routines, Meaningful learning, Metacognition, Critical thinking, Systematic reviewAbstract
Thinking routines, created by Harvard’s Project Zero, have spread worldwide to make students’ thinking visible and foster meaningful learning. Following PRISMA 2020, this systematic review screened two major databases and synthesized 20 empirical studies published between 2015 and 2024 across primary, secondary and tertiary education. Evidence shows reliable gains in critical-creative thinking and metacognition when interventions last at least eight weeks, combine two or more routines and conclude with guided metareflection. Improvements in academic performance are likewise positive yet strongly mediated by alignment between routine and assessment criteria. Contextual supports—curricular alignment, immediate formative feedback and lightweight digital scaffolds—raise the success rate to 92 %. Research gaps remain in longitudinal follow-ups and procedurally dense subjects, particularly in secondary schooling. The review recommends sustained professional development and assessment systems that reward reflection to scale these routines and cultivate thinking-rich classroom cultures. Future studies should report effect sizes and multi-site replication evidence.
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