The Application Of Metacognitive Strategies To Writing Instruction In ELT

Recent researchers have suggested a potential link between metacognitive strategies and Second Language (SL) writing performance. These findings are especially useful for English writing instruction in China since developing writing proficiency remains a great challenge to both Chinese teachers and students. But the study on whether and how metacognitive strategies can be applied to English writing teaching in Chinese college context to improve their writing proficiency is limited.Thinking to make a little contribution to the research on this topic, the author determined to probe into the application of metacognitive strategies to writing instruction by establishing a metacognitive-strategy-centered instructional model in college English writing classroom.The model suggested in this paper centers around the pre-class work, in-class instruction and after-class work. Pre-class work aims at assessment of students'present writing ability and current use of metacognitive strategies in writing processes. The class training under this model can be divided into three stages, namely, the pre-writing stage, while-writing stage, and post-writing stage. In the pre-writing stage, the instructor makes students aware of their existing metacognitive strategy knowledge, presents new metacognitive strategy knowledge, and help them to set learning goals. In the while-writing stage, students try to use the newly-learned metacognitive strategy knowledge to monitor and regulate writing processes. Post-writing stage seeks to help students to make self-assessment of and reflect on their own writing performance and the metacognitive strategies they use in writing practice and systemize and internalize metacognitive strategies. The after-class work consolidates the metacognitive strategies and helps to transfer them to similar situation.The model means to improve writing teaching efficiency by improving students' L2 metacognitive awareness of writing task and instructing students to use metacognitive strategies and metacognitive knowledge in English writing classroom. Also an empirical study of the application of the new model to authentic college English writing class is presented to evaluate the effect of the training of the metacognitive-strategy-centered instructional model on improving students'English writing performance.The research questions intended to answer by introducing this model into classroom are as follows:1) Does the application of the metacognitive-strategy-centered instructional model to writing instruction improve students'L2 metacognitive awareness of writing?2) What is the difference between the experimental group and the control group in their writing proficiency after one year of training involved in this metacognitive-strategy-centered instructional model?71 sophomore English majors from two intact classes were chosen as the subjects of the study: one class of 35 comprised an experimental group (EG) while the other class of 36 comprised a control group (CG). Both of the groups received writing instruction for one year (two semesters), but only EG received training of the metacognitive-strategy-centered instructional model. The results of both the pre- and post- writing tests and questionnaire investigations were collected and compared so that the author could answer the research questions.The research results prove a success. The metacognitive-strategy-centered instructional model the author presented speaks in favor of the role of metacognitive strategies training in college English writing instruction. It offers a practical way to integrate metacognitive strategies training with authentic writing classroom. Also, the new model has a positive effect in improving students'L2 metacognitive awareness of writing task and, in turn, leads to improvement in writing proficiency.Therefore, in the course of English writing instruction in China, it is necessary and effective to strengthen the training of metacognitive strategies to help students improve writing proficiency. Metacognitive strategies training can encourage students to manage their own studies.