Assessing EFL Learners’ Writing Metacognitive Awareness

Abstract

Research on metacognition in English as a foreign language (EFL) writing is heavily dependent on a valid measure to assess metacognitive ability. Since there is no report of a validated domain -specific measure of metacognitive awareness of foreign language (FL) writing this study made an attempt to develop and validate a metacognitive awareness writing questionnaire (MAWQ). In order to construct the questionnaire, an interview with 59 EFL learners was conducted. Based on the content analysis as well as the literature, a framework for metacognitive awareness of writing was developed which led to a hypothesized model, as well as a preliminary inventory. To validate the questionnaire, various exploratory factor analyses were run, and as a result, no clear pattern of hypothesized subscales of knowledge and regulation of cognition emerged. However, in the analysis of the whole questionnaire through EFA, the researcher’s assumption regarding the two general scales of MAWQ was supported indicating that knowledge and regulation of cognition are two main components of MAWQ.

Keywords

• Metacognition, Metacognitive awareness, Knowledge and regulation of cognition, Metacognitive awareness writing questionnaire