USE OF LEARNERS' DIARIES: DOES IT WORK TO ENGAGE STUDENTS' METACOGNITION IN LEARNING IF CLAUSES?

Fidaniar Tiarsiwi

doi:10.22236/ellter.v2i2.7684

Abstract

Metacognitive strategies are expected as ‘higher order executive skills' which enable college students to approach learning systematically and effectively by using the elements of planning, monitoring and evaluating. This study is conducted to investigate whether or not metacognitive strategies can affect the development of structural knowledge of students. To reflect how the students use these strategies, learning diary can lead the learners to strategy use. Twenty-one participants of third semester students were involved. Nine of them were selected to be probed intensively for their metacognitive habits in learning If Clauses. Then, they were divided into three groups according to the level of students' progress and their mid test score. The first group was assumed as novice learners, the second group was categorized as medium level students and the last group was presumed as expert learners. This study revealed that expert learners were better diarist in documenting what they did when learning. The medium level students also indicated that their capability in realizing the use of their cognition was up and down. They were good at evaluating their shortcoming and monitoring some progress, but they were poor at planning and modifying strategies. Meanwhile, the novice learners less reflected how they learned on their documentation. It could be illustrated that they did not have any motivation to plan their learning, evaluate and monitor their learning.

Highlights

English as a foreign language should be taught by the teacher who has had excellent English proficiency
The followings are the general discussion what the writer could describe from what she had obtained after conducting the study: Group 1 From the diaries of this group, it was found that these students gradually focused more on language content and learning processes rather than the language use and their mental process
This finding strengthens the view that strategy instruction created differential and desirable effects on the target strategies i.e. increases in target strategy use in the predicted direction; as Nakatani (2005) states metacognitive strategy gains support for the value of consciousness raising in strategy instruction

Summary

Introduction

English as a foreign language should be taught by the teacher who has had excellent English proficiency. A lot of English teachers in Indonesia have poor ability in English (Nuh, 2012) It could happen since the initial ability of the teachers when they are in the university is miserable (Setiadi, 2012). Those problems might be influenced by the internal factors from the students themselves, for instance their motivation, learning styles, and learning strategies (Shih, 1998). University students are categorized as adult learners who enhance their ability to learn and understand information when they can monitor their own thinking. As children mature, they are assumed to become more aware of their own feelings, thoughts, and preferences. The use of metacognitive strategies reflects the learners’ realization about their responsibility in their learning

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