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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present hands-on techniques that could help achieve higher forms of cognitive work of Bloom’s learning taxonomy and progress toward self-actualization, the top of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. These results can be achieved by the combination of Apaydin’s 3A approach and integrative learning. Design/methodology/approach The results of the exploratory study of student self-inquiry are analyzed using content analysis method. Findings The results indicate that students who underwent through metacognitive instruction exhibit higher cognitive skills than the control group. These skills were manifested in more detailed and extensive responses, more long-term orientation, and higher thrive toward self-development. The study also identified significant gender differences. Research limitations/implications Only two raters reviewed the categories. Increasing the number of raters would potentially increase the reliability and validity of this study. The data were collected in one university in one country. Similar studies conducted in different settings could produce different results. Since the control group was self-selected, it might lead to a performance bias in this group. Practical implications This research has practical implications for improving self-awareness and metacognition of the students. The addition of an unexpected self-applied perspective and application of Problem Solving Algorithm (PSA) to themselves enables the students to see the value of otherwise abstract concepts presented in the textbooks and forgotten immediately after the semester is over. Social implications The students can be socially more prepared to become self-aware professionals and thus improve their career options. Originality/value To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study in the educational research which investigates the impact of implementation of metacognitive instructional techniques on student self-awareness and performance, which has immediate practical implication for student learning and success.

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