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A Study On Metacognition And English Achievement Of Senior Middle School Students

Posted on:2008-05-01Degree:MasterType:Thesis
Country:ChinaCandidate:Q Y GaoFull Text:PDF
GTID:2167360242970779Subject:Foreign Linguistics and Applied Linguistics
Abstract/Summary:PDF Full Text Request
In the last several decades learning strategy studies have been one of the hottest topics in the field of language learning and teaching. With the development of research in language learning strategies, researchers recognize the specific importance of metacognitive strategies as well as metacognitive knowledge, two aspects of metacognition, in language learning. However, most previous studies mainly focused on metacognitive strategies or metacognitive knowledge respectively, few studies have examined metacognition at its full length and the study of metacognition is still scant and inadequate. What's more, even less empirical studies especially on metacognitive variables of senior middle school students have been conducted in China. How are metacognitive knowledge and strategies employed by senior middle school students in English learning? Are there any differences between high, middle and low achievers in the two metacognitive variables? What is the relationship between metacognitive knowledge and metacognitive strategies and what is the relationship of metacognitive variables and English achievement? This study intended to answer these questions above by means of both qualitative and quantitative approaches.The 94 subjects of this study were students of Xinzheng No.3 Middle School. Two instruments were used in the survey study: one questionnaire concerning senior middle school students' metacognitive strategies and knowledge in foreign language learning generated from Horwitz's (1987) Beliefs about Language Learning Inventory (BALLI), Wen Qiufang's (1993) Language learner Factors Questionnaire as well as the author-designed questions after an interview with the teachers in the senior middle school, and the final examination set by the Education Committee of Zhengzhou and administrated to measure first-year high school students' language achievement at the end of the first term with the same structure as the National Matriculation English Test (NMET). Six subjects were selected for the qualitative study, two out of each group. The instruments involved in this part of the study were interview and diary. Data analysis was carried out using the Statistical Package for Social Science, 14.0 Version (SPSS 14.0). The results of the study indicate:1. The students command metacognitive knowledge quite well without any significant differences found between the three groups of achievers. However, there exists contradiction in the subjects' acquired metacognitive knowledge or beliefs and discrepancies were found between what the subjects think or know and what they actually do.2. Generally Chinese senior middle school students used metacognitive strategies at the medium level with monitoring strategy being used the most frequently and evaluation strategy the least frequently. Significant differences were not found in all the three subcategories of metacognitive strategies between all the three groups of achievers, which suggested that the differences between successful and unsuccessful learners do not only lie in the frequency of the metacognitive strategy use.3. Metacognitive knowledge and metacognitive strategies, the two dimensions of metacognition, are significantly correlated with each other. Exactly speaking, metacognitive knowledge and metacognitive strategies exist in a reciprocal relationship.4. Both metacognitive knowledge and strategies, especially planning and evaluation strategies, were positively correlated with language learning proficiency. The relationship between metacognitive strategy use and language learning proficiency level is interactional or reciprocal while only through metacognitive strategies could metacognitive knowledge produce effects on English achievement.The qualitative study illustrates and illuminates the differences obtained from the quantitative part between the three groups of achievers in metacognitive strategies and demonstrates that the high achievers use metacognitive strategies more appropriately and effectively.Based on the findings obtained from both quantitative and qualitative study, the paper provides the following suggestions for English teaching and learning in the senior middle school in China:On the one hand, importance should be attached to metacognitive knowledge training. Teachers are advised to use explicit instruction to help students acquire strategic knowledge with methods like demonstrating, modeling and explaining, practicing with feedback. On the other hand, the teacher should explicitly teach students a variety of learning strategies and also explicitly instruct them how, when and why to use them. Meanwhile, the students should be provided with practice and feedback opportunity in language learning.
Keywords/Search Tags:metacognition, metacognitive knowledge, metacognitive strategies, English achievement, relationship
PDF Full Text Request
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