Cognitive aspects of Information Science in Brazil:

a approach centered in the metacognition

Abstract

While cognition comprises unconscious mental processes, metacognition is the awareness and management of these processes by the individual. Its importance for Information Science (IS) resides in the fact that its benefits reach both users and information professionals in their different activities. Despite this favorable scenario for the application of this construct within the scope of this science, it was found that studies addressing this relationship are incipient. With that, the question arose: How has IC been appropriating metacognition in its studies? Thus, the article aims to discuss how metacognition is present in IC research in Brazil from the incidence of the theme in scientific journals in the area. Methodologically, it is a basic, descriptive and quali-quantitative research. As a technical procedure, a documentary research was carried out from the Reference Database of Journal Articles in Information Science (Brapci). Constituting a corpus of only ten articles, the results indicate that the relationship between metacognition and IC is outlined by contributions whose main aspects involve: decision-making; search strategies; source evaluation; information learning and retention; and effective use of information. It is concluded that metacognition constitutes an essential approach to understand how users and professionals interact with information and, thus, improve services and information systems to meet their needs more effectively, justifying the indispensability of greater investments for its theoretical and practical application in the context of information systems.