Metacognition in Physical Therapy Students: A Scoping Review Protocol

This project is a scoping review that aims to examine the extent, nature, and characteristics of the existing literature on metacognition among physical therapy (physiotherapy) students. Metacognition—defined as awareness and regulation of one’s own cognitive processes—is considered essential for effective learning, clinical reasoning, and professional development in health professions education. While metacognition has been widely studied in other health professions, the literature focused specifically on physical therapy students remains fragmented and has not been comprehensively synthesized. The purpose of this scoping review is to map how metacognition is defined, studied, measured, and applied within physical therapy education across both didactic and clinical training contexts. The review will include studies that explicitly address metacognition, as well as closely related constructs (e.g., self-regulated learning, self-assessment, self-monitoring, reflective practice) when they are clearly linked to metacognitive processes within the aims, conceptual framework, methods, or discussion. Eligible sources will include quantitative, qualitative, mixed-methods, and theoretical or opinion papers involving students enrolled in professional physical therapy or physiotherapy programs. This review will follow the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology for scoping reviews and will be reported in accordance with the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Searches will be conducted in PubMed (including MEDLINE), CINAHL, Embase, ERIC, and PsycINFO, limited to English-language, peer-reviewed literature published within the past five years. Study selection and data extraction will be performed independently by two reviewers, with discrepancies resolved through discussion or consultation with a third reviewer as needed. Data to be extracted will include study characteristics, educational context, metacognitive constructs examined, methods of assessment or intervention, and key findings. The expected outcomes of this review include a comprehensive mapping of how metacognition is conceptualized and operationalized in physical therapy education, identification of methodological and conceptual gaps in the literature, and synthesis of themes relevant to educational practice and future research. Findings are expected to provide a comprehensive overview of how metacognition is conceptualized and operationalized in physical therapy education and to highlight gaps and areas for future research.