The Impact of Metacognitive Strategies on Jordanian EFL Learners’ Writing Performance

Abstract

One of the most challenging aspects of foreign language learning is writing. Writing is the most demanding and complicated aspect of language system. Writing requires the collective effort of orthographic, graphomotor and other linguistic skills with the inclusion of semantics, syntax, spelling, and writing conventions without being restricted to the aforementioned skills. The Improvement of cognitive psychology, metacognition has drawn the focus of an increasing number of researchers’ and paved way for recent dimensions on EFL writing, particularly in the aspect of writing achievement. Due to the fact that the method possesses a highly-placed executive aptness which comprises of formulation, supervision, and assessment, this study attempts to investigate the influence of using metacognitive strategies on Jordanian EFL learners' writing performance. Forty four students were randomly selected from secondary school level to partake in experimental control of the study. The researcher made use of the intervention program based on CALLA model of teaching in classroom. The experimental group (EG) received metacognitive strategies-based writing instruction whereas the control group (CG) received only the routine writing instruction (Product Approach). After five weeks of instruction, both groups were post-tested and at the end of program which lasted for twelve weeks, the students carried out another post-test. Data were submitted to the independent Mann-Whitney U test followed by Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test analysis. The results showed that there was a positive effect in the experimental group's writing performance. The findings of this study have implications for pedagogy as well as for future research.