Socially shared metacognitive regulation (SSMR) has substantially
expanded our understanding of metacognitive regulation in collaborative
learning environments, as documented in intensifying research over the
past 15 years. Designing new, innovative collaborative learning
environments in science fields is thriving, but more empirically
grounded evidence is needed to fully understand the demands for
regulation of the joint effort of all the participants to reach the
intended goals in science learning. As a highly challenging disciplinary
area, science offers an intriguing window to unveil metacognitive
processes emerging in social contexts. This chapter discusses some
conceptualization issues of social regulation of cognition found in the
literature, particularly those in need of deeper understanding through
empirical scrutiny. Further, through illustrations from
studies–empirical evidence of social forms of metacognitive regulation
in collaborative science learning, the role played by SSMR in different
collaborative science learning environments is discussed. Discussed gaps
in current empirical evidence offer grounds to future directions in
SSMR research.