<![CDATA[Research on metacognitive competence among prospective teachers is heavily dominated by natural sciences education, while its analysis within social studies (IPS) instruction for primary school teacher education (PGSD) students remains under-explored. This study aims to analyze the metacognitive capabilities of PGSD students within the social studies learning framework by synthesizing diverse educational literatures. The method employed is a systematic literature review analyzing 10 strategic scientific articles published between 2011 and 2026. The conceptual framework bridges the cognitive gap by connecting metacognitive awareness models in physics and biology education with higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) and instructional innovations in social studies. The analysis reveals that prospective teachers’ cognitive monitoring can be mapped through reflective journals, yet structural challenges persist in mastering broad social science concepts. Furthermore, pedagogical interventions such as reciprocal teaching, problem-based designs, collaborative sharing, and technology-driven platforms like MOOC-Science are identified as catalytic drivers that significantly enhance students’ meta-conceptual processing and collaborative competence. The study demonstrates that integrating reflective and structured metacognitive monitoring is vital in university-level social studies courses to equip prospective primary school teachers with the self-regulation required to design active, non-monotonous social science learning for elementary pupils. Therefore, engineering metacognitive scaffolding must be strategically embedded within the PGSD social studies curriculum.]]>
