Abstract
Recent research has highlighted the value of incorporating metacognitive prompts into cooperative learning. This study explores effects of the presence or absence of metacognitive prompts in group or individual learning on metacognitive awareness and EFL writing outcomes. A total of 170 university students were assigned to one of four treatment conditions: collaborative learning with metacognitive prompts (COOP + META), collaborative learning without metacognitive prompts (COOP), individual learning with metacognitive prompts (INDI + META), and individual learning without metacognitive prompts (INDI). After treatment, learners exposed to metacognitive prompts in a cooperative learning setting outperformed the other groups in metacognitive awareness and EFL writing. Multiple regression analysis also showed that enhanced metacognitive awareness significantly predicted English writing outcomes. Results revealed metacognitive regulation was a more significant predictor of writing outcome. These findings highlight the importance of incorporating metacognitive prompts within collaborative writing settings.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Altstaedter, L. L. (2018). Investigating the impact of peer feedback in foreign language writing. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 12(2), 137–151.
Backer, L. D., Van Keer, H., & Valcke, M. (2012). Exploring the potential impact of reciprocal peer tutoring on higher education students’ metacognitive knowledge and regulation. Instructional Science, 40, 559–588.
Blankson, A. N., & Blair, C. (2016). Cognition and classroom quality as predictors of math achievement in the kindergarten year. Learning & Instruction, 41, 32–40.
Bol, L., Hacker, D. J., Walck, C. C., & Nunnery, J. A. (2012). The effects of individual or group guidelines on the calibration accuracy and achievement of high school biology students. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 37(4), 280–287.
Cho, K., Cho, M. H., & Hacker, D. (2010). Self-monitoring support for learning to write. Interactive Learning Environments, 18(2), 101–113.
Conner, L. N. (2007). Cueing metacognition to improve researching and essay writing in a final year high school biology class. Research in Science Education, 37, 1–16.
Daiute, C., & Dalton, B. (1993). Collaboration between children learning to write: Can novices be masters? Cognition and Instruction, 10(4), 281–333.
Field, A. (2013). Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statistics. Sage.
Flavell, J. H. (1979). Metacognition and cognitive monitoring: A new area of cognitive-developmental inquiry. American Psychologist, 34(10), 906–911.
Graham, S., & Perin, D. (2007). A meta-analysis of writing instruction for adolescent students. Journal of Educational Psychology, 99, 445–476.
Gress, C. L., & Hadwin, A. F. (2010). Advancing educational research on collaboration through the use of gStudy computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) tools: Introduction to special issue. Computers in Human Behavior, 26(5), 785–786.
Harris, K., & Graham, S. (2009). Self-regulated strategy development in writing: Premises, evolution, and the future. British Journal of Educational Psychology (monograph Series), 6, 113–135.
Haukås, A., Bjørke, C., & Dypedahl, M. (2018). Metacognition in language learning and teaching. Routledge.
Hayes, J. R. (2012). Modeling and remodeling writing. Written Communication, 29, 369–388.
Hayes, J. R., & Flower, L. (1980). Identifying the organization of writing processes. In L. W. Gregg & E. R. Steinberg (Eds.), Cognitive processes in writing (pp. 3–30). Erlbaum.
Jacobs, J. E., & Paris, S. G. (1987). Children’s metacognition about reading: Issues in definition, measurement, and instruction. Educational Psychologist, 22, 225–278.
Johnson, D. W., & Johnson, R. T. (1994). Learning together and alone: Cooperative, competitive, and individualistic learning. Allyn & Bacon.
Karlen, Y. (2017). The development of a new instrument to assess metacognitive strategy knowledge about academic writing and its relation to self-regulated writing and writing performance. Journal of Writing Research, 9, 61–86.
Kellogg, R. T. (1994). The psychology of writing. Oxford University Press.
Kramarski, B. (2004). Making sense of graphs: Does meta-cognitive instruction make a difference on students’ mathematical conceptions and alternative conceptions? Learning and Instruction, 14(6), 593–619.
Lam, R., & Kapur, M. (2017). Preparation for future collaboration: Cognitively preparing for learning from collaboration. Journal of Experimental Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220973.2017.1386156
Li, M., & Zhu, W. (2017). Good or bad collaborative wiki writing: Exploring links between group interactions and writing products. Journal of Second Language Writing, 35, 38–53.
MacArthur, C. A., Philippakos, Z. A., & Ianetta, M. (2015). Self-regulated strategy instruction in college developmental writing. Journal of Educational Psychology, 107, 855–867.
Negretti, R. (2015). Calibrating genre: Metacognitive judgments and rhetorical effectiveness in academic writing by L2 graduate students. Applied Linguistics, 36, 1–29.
Nguyen, L. T. C., & Gu, Y. Q. (2013). Strategy-based instruction: A learner-focused approach to developing learner autonomy. Language Teaching Research, 17, 9–30.
Santelmann, L. M., Stevens, D. D., & Martin, S. B. (2018). Fostering master’s students’ metacognition and self-regulation practices for research writing. College Teaching, 66(3), 111–123.
Schraw, G. (1998). Promoting general metacognitive awareness. Instructional Science, 26, 113–125.
Schraw, G., & Dennison, R. S. (1994). Assessing metacognitive awareness. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 19, 460–475.
Slavin, R. E. (1996). Research on cooperative learning and achievement: What we know, what we need to know. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 21, 43–69.
Slavin, R. E., & Karweit, N. L. (2015). Cognitive and affective outcomes of an intensive student team learning experience. Journal of Experimental Education, 50, 29–35.
Storch, N. (2005). Collaborative writing: Product, process, and students’ reflections. Journal of Second Language Writing, 14, 153–173.
Teng, F. (2016). Immediate and delayed effects of embedded metacognitive instruction on Chinese EFL students’ English writing and regulation of cognition. Thinking Skills & Creativity, 22, 289–302.
Teng, F. (2020a). Effects of cooperative–metacognitive instruction on EFL learners’ writing and metacognitive awareness. Asia Pacific Journal of Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/02188791.2020.1835606.
Teng, F. (2020b). Tertiary-level students’ English writing performance and metacognitive awareness: A group metacognitive support perspective. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 64(4), 551–568. https://doi.org/10.1080/00313831.2019.1595712
Teng, F. (2021). The effectiveness of incorporating metacognitive prompts in collaborative writing on academic English writing skills. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 35(3), 659–673.
Teng, F., & Huang, J. (2019). Predictive effects of writing strategies for self-regulated learning on secondary school learners’ EFL writing proficiency. TESOL Quarterly, 53, 232–247.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society. Harvard University Press.
Yarrow, F., & Topping, K. J. (2001). Collaborative writing: The effects of metacognitive prompting and structured peer interaction. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 71(2), 261–282.
You, X. (2004). New directions in EFL writing: A report from China. Journal of Second Language Writing, 13(4), 253–256.
Zinchuk, J. E. (2015). Tracing pedagogical memory: The role of teaching metacognition and learning concepts in student writing development. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. University of Washington
Funding
The funded was provided by Project supported by the Education Department of Hainan Province, Project Number: Hnky2020ZD-9.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Supplementary Information
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Teng, M.F. Effects of Individual and Group Metacognitive Prompts on Tertiary-Level Students’ Metacognitive Awareness and Writing Outcomes. Asia-Pacific Edu Res 31, 601–612 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-021-00611-8
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-021-00611-8