Untangling the relationship between English as a foreign language learners’ metacognitive experiences and writing proficiency: A mixed-methods approach

Abstract

Despite abundant research on the role of metacognitive knowledge and metacognitive strategies in learning to write in English as a foreign language (EFL), the role of metacognitive experiences, a subcategory of metacognition, warrants more attention. To bridge this gap, this study used a mixed-methods approach to investigate the relationship between EFL learners’ metacognitive experiences in learning to write and their writing proficiency. Four hundred and forty-nine second-year undergraduates were invited to complete a self-report questionnaire and a writing task. From these participants, 10 students were invited to complete follow-up interviews. Quantitative and qualitative findings showed that students at different writing proficiency levels differed in the richness of their metacognitive experiences in writing. The quantitative results also revealed that EFL learners’ metacognitive experiences made a predictive contribution to their overall writing quality. In addition, the qualitative data were analyzed to examine the contributing factors affecting the richness of EFL learners’ metacognitive experiences in writing. Some important theoretical and pedagogical implications are discussed.