A CASE STUDY ON A METACOGNITIVE STRATEGY TRAINING IN AN ENGLISH WRITING PROGREAM FOR SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN SOUTHERN TAIWAN

• Main Authors: Shing-Zong Wang, 王欣蓉
• Other Authors: Ye-ling Chang
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2006
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/49915388776410288652

碩士 === 國立高雄師範大學 === 英語學系 === 95 === The purpose of the present study is to investigate the effects of metacognitive writing strategy training on English writing of senior high school students. Especailly the influence of the MWST on the students’ attitude toward English writing and the responses to the MWST program were investigated. Moreover, to what extent the MWST program would influence the subjects’ metacognitive awareness and English writing performance was further explored. The subjects of this study are nine twelfth-grade senior high students in Lai Yi Senior High School. During a 12-week MWST program in writing instruction, all of the subjects had to learn the three metacognitive learning strategies-the planning strategy, the monitoring strategy, and the evaluating strategy. In the MWST program, the subjects were asked to take the Pre-study Writing test and to answer (a) the Pre-study Writing Autobiography, (b) the Pre-study Questionnaires. After the teacher instruct the students why, how, and when to use the selected metacognitive strategies in English writing. The subjects were asked to take the Post-study writing test and to answer post-study Writing Autobiography and the Post-study Questionnaires. In the data analysis, the data collected in the study were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. The student responses to the Pre-study and Post-study Writing Autobiography, the Pre-study and Post-study Questionnaires on The Selected Metacognitive Strategy Index (SMSI), Pre-study and Post-study questionnaires on Students’ Perception of Writing Self-efficacy, and their scores of English Writing Tests were analyzed quantitatively. Their response to the questions of Pre-study and Post-study Writing Autobiography and the Questionnaire on the Students’ Response to the MWST were analyzed qualitatively. Based on the data analysis, the findings of the present study are summarized as follows. 1. The students’ attitudes toward English writing were positively reinforced after the MWST program. The students expressed their English abilities were improved after they learned how to use metacognitive learning strategies to plan, monitor, and evaluate their writing in the MWST program. 2. The students’ metacognitive awareness was positively reinforced after they participated in MWST program. The finding shows that there are great improvements in terms of writing autobiography questionnaires and the questionnaire on the selected metacogntive strategy index. 3. The MWST program is effective in improving the students’ writing performance. There are significant enhancement in the five categories of the students’ English writing performance in terms of the content, organization, vocabulary, language use, and mechanics between the pre-study and the post-study. 4. All the subjects showed a positive attitude toward the effectiveness of the MWST. Especially they like the planning strategy most. Based on the study findings, it is suggested that EFL writing teachers can help their students improve their writing ability by instructing them metacognitive writing strategies. And they also can integrate the metacognitive theory into English writing to enhance the students’ metacognitive awareness. The instruction of the three metacognitive writing strategies including the planning, self-monitoring, and self-evaluating strategies can be use by EFL writing teacher to improve the students’ ability to plan, monitor, and evaluate their own writing abilities in the English writing processes.