Abstract

This research-and-development study developed and evaluated the content and structural suitability of an instructional model integrating metacognition, phenomenon-based learning, and inquiry for undergraduate students' critical problem-solving competency and self-awareness. In Phase 1, interviews with two instructors and nine students and observations of three general biology course sections at one Thai university identified a need for more explicit justification of alternative solutions and monitoring of thinking. These findings informed a six-component model with a five-step learning process. In Phase 2, five experts appraised the model and its assessment instruments. All 10 critical problem-solving items received an item-objective congruence (IOC) index of 1.00; the 18 self-awareness items received IOC indices of 0.60-1.00 (mean = 0.91). IOC-derived estimates of scale-level positive agreement (S-CVI/Ave proxies) were 1.000 and 0.956, respectively, under the reported distribution of expert judgments. The overall mean suitability rating for the model was 4.62 out of 5.00. The model positions evidence-based decision-making and metacognitive reflection particularly within Steps 4 and 5. The findings support the model's content and structural suitability in the studied context; learning-outcome effectiveness requires evaluation in implementation research.

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