The predictive role of metacognitive and cognitive flexibility skills on professional teaching qualifications

The aim of the present study is to reveal the relationship between primary school teacher candidates' metacognitive and cognitive flexibility skills and then to predict their professional teaching qualifications in terms of these variables. Another aim of the study is to determine whether metacognitive, cognitive flexibility skills and teaching professional qualifications vary according to gender, high school type, grade level and university. The study is conducted according to correlational survey model which is one of the quantitative research methods and based on prediction model. Correlational relationships and prediction levels between these variables have been explored with the aim of determining primary school teacher candidates' professional teaching qualifications. For this purpose, the study is conducted in 2016-2017 academic year in Eskişehir with the participation of 401 primary school prospective teachers studying in their first, second, third and fourth years. Student personal information form, metacognition scale, cognitive flexibility inventory and teaching qualifications scale are implemented to prospective teachers in this study. The findings of the study are found by using correlational and multiple linear regression analyses in SPSS 22.0 package program. Accordingly, the results of the study show that: a) Primary school teacher candidates' metacognitive and cognitive flexibility skills are strong predictors of their professional teaching qualifications. b) It is concluded that there is a medium level and positive relationship between metacognitive, cognitive flexibility skills and teaching professional competencies. c) Metacognitive, cognitive flexibility skills and professional teaching qualifications are not significantly correlated with gender and high school type variable, but the relationship between these skills and two other variables, grade level and university, is significant. Keywords: Metacognition, Cognitive flexibility, Professional teaching qualifications.