Examining the Foreign Language Writing Experiences of Computer Engineering Students

The objectives of this study were to investigate the relationships between the use of cognitive and metacognitive strategies and students’ performance on and English computer-based listening test, and to explore the differences in the use of the strategies by high and low-ability listeners. The subjects were 66 fourth-year Chulalongkorn University students from the Faculty of Commerce and Accountancy who were selected on a volunteer basis. The students were classified into high-listening-ability and low-listening-ability groups by their listening proficiency scores. Pearson Correlation was used to explore the relationships between the strategies and students’ performance on the listening test, and Independent-Samples t-test was used to investigate the differences in the use of the strategies by the high-listening-ability and the low-listening-ability groups. The instruments were a computer-based listening test, questionnaires and retrospective interviews. The results revealed significant differences in the use of the strategies by the two groups. The high-listening-ability group used the cognitive strategies significantly more than the low-listening-ability group. They also used the metacognitive strategies significantly more than the low-listening-ability group. Moreover, the data showed that the high-listening-ability group significantly used more concluding strategy, rule-applying strategy, note-taking strategy, and planning strategy than the other group. The interviews showed the different uses of the strategies, and emphasized more appropriate use of the strategies by the high-listening-ability group. The study also showed no significant relationship between the use of cognitive strategies and the performance of the students in both groups, and no significant relationship between the use of metacognitive strategies and the low-listening-ability group’s performance. However, a significant negative relationship between the use of metacognitive strategies and the high-ability listeners’ performance was found. This could be linked to various factors such as learner variables, task types and language ability. The study provided more insight into the listening decoding processes in relation to the use of cognitive and metacognitive strategies by the high-listening-ability group and the low-listening-ability group. It also revealed the listening processes of the successful listeners the depended greatly on their linguistic knowledge and their appropriate use of the strategies.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of metacognitive reading strategy instruction on Arabic learners’ metacognitive reading strategy use and reading comprehension. The participants of the study are intermediate Arabic learners in Myongji University and the experimental group was given metacogtnitive reading strategy instruction on planning, monitoring and evaluation strategies. To collect data, metacognitive reading strategy questionnaires and reading comprehension tests were used. The major findings of this study are as follows. First, the result of pre- and post-metacognitive reading strategy questionnaires indicates metacognitive reading strategy instruction was verified to have a positive effect on Arabic learners’ metacognitive strategy use. Second, the results reveal that metacognitive strategy instruction improved Arabic learners’ reading comprehension. The difference between the pre- and post-reading comprehension tests in the experimental group was statistically significant while the control group didn't show any statistical difference.

Students faced difficulties producing a good essay due to ineffective writing strategies.One way to address this challenge is by employing metacognitive strategies.Metacognitive strategies are essential strategies that help learners plan, monitor and evaluate their writing.These strategies will help students become autonomous and overcome the challenges they face in the writing process.This study investigated the relationship between students' use of Metacognitive strategies and their Malaysian University English Test (MUET) writing score.A survey design using a set of questionnaires was administered to 102 foundation studies participants enrolled in a language programme.The questionnaire investigated participants' use of metacognitive strategies in academic writing.The data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics, revealing a high mean score for using the three stages of metacognitive strategies (planning, monitoring and evaluating).However, the correlation test indicated that there was no significant relationship between participants' use of metacognitive strategies and their MUET writing score.The findings showed that although students claimed to use metacognitive strategies, this was not evident in the results of their MUET test.These findings are essential for students to improve their writing skills, and at the same time, teachers need to be aware of the strategies to guide their students.

The aim of this study is to investigate Emiratii high school students’ understandings of stoichiometry, their use of metacognitive strategies, and the influence of students’ use of metacognitive strategies on their understandings of stoichiometry. Two instruments were used in this study, the first to measure students’ understandings of stoichiometry and the second to measure students’ use of metacognitive strategies. One hundred and sixty‐two 11th grade students participated in this study, 80 boys and 82 girls. The results showed that students’ understanding of stoichiometry was low and students used five metacognitive strategies: awareness of cognition, planning, monitoring and self‐checking, self‐appraisal and engagement in task. Planning was the most used strategy and could predict students’ success in displaying sound understanding of stoichiometry. The results also showed that students’ overall use of metacognitive strategies predicts their understanding of stoichiometry. The study argues that students should be taught how to use metacognitive strategies to improve their understanding of stoichiometry in particular and chemistry in general.

Metacognitive strategy has been recognised as a crucial factor in language learning, and its role in English writing for Chinese learners still remains unknown. The present study investigates 215 Chinese college engineering students’ use of metacognitive strategies through employing research methods of questionnaire survey and writing proficiency test. According to the results, it is found that selective attention and self-monitoring are used in writing quite often, while planning and self-evaluation are seldom used. Besides, the differences in the use of metacognitive strategies between freshmen and sophomores are not statistically significant. It is also found that engineering students of higher writing proficiency tend to employ metacognitive strategies in academic writing more frequently and effectively than those with poor writing skills. It is eventually suggested that metacognitive strategies should be imparted to the students, and that the training of metacognitive strategies should be integrated into classroom activities of English writing teaching.

This study investigated the concept of individual differences (IDs) in the use of metacognitive strategies (planning, problem-solving, monitoring, and evaluating) and its relationship with task demand and learner performance within Kormos’ Bilingual Speech Production Model from the lens of Chinese English-as-foreign-language (EFL) learners in the context of integrated L2 speaking assessment. To measure metacognitive strategies, we administered an inventory on 134 Chinese EFL learners after they completed four integrated L2 speaking assessment tasks. Descriptive analysis and multiple linear regression were adopted for data analysis, and results show that: (a) IDs displayed variance in Chinese EFL learners’ metacognitive strategy use; (b) among the four metacognitive strategies under investigation, problem-solving was reported to be used the most frequently in sharp contrast to monitoring, which had the lowest frequency; (c) metacognitive strategies worked interactively, responding to task demands involved in the four integrated L2 speaking assessment tasks; and (d) Chinese EFL learners’ use of metacognitive strategies, in individual and interactive working modes, had no relationship with their speaking performance. These results are expected to present some insights into the role of IDs in metacognitive strategy use during L2 speech production under assessment conditions, which will add robust evidence to the existing literature on L2 speaking, in particular on metacognitive strategy use in L2 speaking assessment. In the meantime, the findings will provide some empirical validation support for Kormos’ model, which will further provide some implications for L2 speaking instruction and L2 assessment.

This study mainly explored the effects of teacher feedback, peer feedback and automated feedback on the use of metacognitive strategies in EFL writing. Ninety-seven participants were recruited and divided into three groups, who received two months of feedback from teachers, peers and an automatic writing evaluation system, respectively, and then completed English writing tasks. Metacognitive strategies in this study entail planning strategies (including language knowledge accumulation strategies and pre-planning strategies), monitoring strategies (including selective attention strategies and self-monitoring strategies), and self-evaluation strategies. By conducting repeated-measures ANOVA on three groups of participants’ use of metacognitive strategies before and after receiving different feedbacks, it was found that there were statistically significant differences in the effects of teacher feedback, peer feedback, and automated feedback on the use of selective attention strategies, whereas there were no statistically significant differences in the impact of those aforementioned types of feedback on other metacognitive strategies. It was also found that automated feedback had a hindrance effect on the use of monitoring strategies, whereas teacher feedback and peer feedback had a promotive effect on the use of all metacognitive strategies.

In this study, we explored the use of reading metacognitive strategies of 133 college students, comparing the self-reported use of L1 and L2 English students. Results indicate that while both groups report using strategies often when reading academic texts and having similar preferences in types of reading strategy, L2 readers use strategies more frequently than their native-speaking peers, particularly for support strategies.

Despite garnering increasing scholarly attention in educational research, metacognitive training remains an underexplored topic in interpreting studies. This study aimed to investigate the impact of standards‐based self‐assessment on student interpreters’ metacognitive strategy use and interpreting performance. Their perceptions of the metacognitive self‐assessment practice were also explored. A total of 43 Chinese undergraduate interpreting students participated in the study. Of these, 22 were assigned to the experimental group, which received metacognitive intervention [i.e., self‐assessment based on the China's Standards of English Language Ability (CSE) metacognitive interpreting descriptors], while the control group (n = 21) did not receive such intervention. A pretest‐posttest design was adopted, and both quantitative and qualitative data from the metacognitive questionnaire, interpreting test, and written reports were analyzed. The results showed that the metacognitive intervention exerted a positive effect on students’ metacognitive strategy use and interpreting performance. Furthermore, students generally expressed positive perceptions of the intervention, although they also suggested that further adjustments to the self‐assessment tool were needed. The study concluded that the standards‐based self‐assessment was an effective pedagogical technique for metacognitive interpreter training.

Purpose of the study: The main aim of the present study is to analyze and explain the use of metacognitive strategies in learning English as a foreign language (EFL) in Chile. To comprehend the metacognitive strategy usage of EFL learners, Oxford´s (1990) Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) was used in this study.
 Methodology: The present research is a quantitative study within the characteristics of the descriptive correlational framework in which the metacognitive strategies used by participants were examined in a university EFL setting. Further, the mid-semester grades were used for quantifying proficiency to see the correlation between proficiency and the use of metacognitive strategies.
 Main Findings: Results showed that the participants used metacognitive strategies more frequently with an average use of 4.16. Two groups of strategies showed a positive relationship with language performance; cognitive (r=.26) and metacognitive strategies (r=.585). The measured R² (coefficient of determination) was found to be .342 which means 34% of the variance for the language proficiency of the participants was explained by metacognitive strategy use.
 Applications of this study: The results of this study can be applied by the language teachers in their classroom teaching practices and by researchers for furthering their research in the field of language learning strategies. It can also be used by the students to facilitate their learning process.
 Novelty/Originality of this study: The present study is a contribution to our understanding of how the learners use metacognitive skills and strategies in learning a foreign language. Language teachers can use these strategies in their classroom for successful learning.

ABSTRACTThe current study explores the nature and relationships among test takers’ performance appraisals, appraisal calibration, and reported cognitive and metacognitive strategy use in a language test situation. Performance appraisals are executive processes of strategic competence for judging test performance (e.g., evaluating the correctness or appropriateness of responses to given test tasks). Appraisal calibration denotes a perfect match between appraisal confidence and actual test performance. 294 English as a foreign language (EFL) students took an English test, which was designed to measure four language areas (listening, grammar, vocabulary, and reading). The students reported their level of appraisal confidence immediately after answering each test question. At the end of the test, they were asked to report their overall appraisal confidence and perceived cognitive and metacognitive strategy use in the test. First, it was found that test takers were not well calibrated in all test sections. Second, test takers’ appraisal confidence could predict just above one third of the test performance variance. Third, test takers tended to be underconfident in easy questions but overconfident in difficult questions. Fourth, appraisal calibration was not strongly related to reported metacognitive strategy use. The implications of the study in light of strategic competence research and recommendations for further research are discussed.

This study investigated EFL learners’ self-perceived metacognitive strategy use with the revised Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategies Inventory (MARSI-R). Data collection followed two steps. In the first step, 213 EFL learners responded to the inventory twice (before and after a reading comprehension task). In the second step, 81 out of the 213 participants answered an open survey inquiring learners’ perception and changes of perception of metacognitive reading strategy use during the reading process. Results indicate that learners’ self-perceived strategy use changed significantly after performing the reading task. Learners’ feedbacks in the survey show that learners’ self-perceived strategy use might not reflect the actual use of strategies. This inconsistency between self-perceived reading strategy use and the actual strategy use might mislead learners in their foreign language learning. Further empirical studies are needed to validate the instrument and explore classroom instructions that help learners better understand their actual strategy use during the reading process.

This article reports on findings from a study that employed stimulated recall (SR) to tap English as second language (ESL) learners’ metacognitive strategy use and thought processes. Two groups of four students in each were asked to engage in an English group discussion task. Prior to the task, the groups were given time to discuss how they might prepare for the upcoming task. Immediately after the task, each of the eight students was asked to participate in a SR interview to recall the thought processes that had taken place during the group preparation. A fine-grained qualitative analysis of the thought processes of the students indicated that they reported using different types of metacognitive strategies to do local and global planning prior to the task proper. The results also showed that students were planning to use strategies to monitor the turn-taking pattern or contribution of group members while the English task was in action. This paper proposes that SR interviews may usefully be incorporated into the teaching plan as post-task activities. This way, the teacher may be able to access the inner voices of ESL learners about metacognitive strategy, thereby gaining insight into effective teaching of ESL oral skills.

The present study aimed at investigating the efficacy of the implementation of technology-mediated reading comprehension tasks to develop learner autonomy and metacognitive strategy use of Iranian intermediate EFL learners in a reading comprehension class. To this end, a quasi-experimental design was used in which 80 participants were selected based on their performance in a placement test (Oxford Quick Placement Test), and were assigned on a random basis to experimental and control groups. Learner autonomy questionnaire as well as metacognitive awareness of reading strategies inventory (MARSI) version1.0. were used as pretest. After 20 sessions of reading comprehension instruction in the form of technology-mediated task-based instruction in the experimental group and traditional explicit instruction for the control group, the aforementioned questionnaires were administered again as posttest. The obtained pretest and posttest scores were analyzed statistically using ANCOVA. The results indicated that technology-mediated task-based instruction was more effective in enhancing learner autonomy and metacognitive strategy use in comparison to the traditional explicit reading comprehension instruction. The results of this study bear implications for teachers, teacher trainers and material developers as they can use the tasks implemented in this study to change the role of learners from passive recipient of information to autonomous learners who resort to strategies facing a problem. Further, using these tasks in a class of reading comprehension, learners are not only input receivers but also output producers.

In this study, the effects of using generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) as a metacognitive scaffolding tool in flipped classrooms (FC) on students’ motivation, critical thinking(CT), self-efficacy, engagement, problem-solving, metacognitive strategy use, and learning flexibility were examined through an experimental design. The study was conducted with three groups using a pre-test and post-test control group quasi-experimental design. All groups were taught using the FC model. The participants of the study consisted of 98 undergraduate students. The findings revealed that the use of GenAI as a metacognitive scaffolding tool in FC created significant differences in extrinsic motivation, CT, self-efficacy, engagement, problem-solving, metacognitive strategy use, and learning flexibility. However, GenAI did not lead to significant changes in intrinsic motivation, and its impact was not uniformly positive across all variables, highlighting the importance of thoughtful implementation. In the FC implementation supported with metacognitive scaffolding, significant differences were identified in self-efficacy and metacognitive strategy use.