Earticle

Recent studies show that the influence of metacognitive knowledge on the second language reading increased with the increasing vocabulary knowledge. However, the relationship among metacognitive knowledge, language knowledge and EFL reading still needs to be further clarified. How does vocabulary knowledge make an independent contribution to L2 reading? How does it moderate the effect of metacognitive knowledge on L2 reading? This study assesses the roles of metacognitive knowledge and vocabulary size in EFL academic reading based on Chinese tertiary EFL learners. The participants include 548 non-English major sophomore students in mainland China. The instruments include a questionnaire on the metacognitive knowledge of EFL reading comprehension, Vocabulary Levels Test (Nation, 1990) and an EFL reading comprehension test. The findings reveal that Chinese tertiary EFL readers only approach 3,000-word level. Vocabulary size does not only exert direct influences on EFL reading comprehension ability, but also plays a significant moderating role in regulating the effect of metacognitive knowledge on EFL reading comprehension ability. When the vocabulary size reaches above the threshold of 3,000 words, metacognitive knowledge plays an increasing role in EFL reading comprehension ability. The theoretical and educational contributions of these findings for L2 academic reading are discussed.

This study explores the process by which university-level learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) develop their understanding of composing academic essays. A series of lessons utilizing the genre-based approach to instructional writing, alongside the systemic functional linguistics (SFL) framework, were implemented. A classroom unit was treated as a single community of practice (CoP) to understand social learning; anthropology and social theory (CoPs), literacy pedagogy (genre-based approach), and linguistics (SFL) were conceptually connected for theorization. Participants wrote pre- and post-academic essays, and then reviewed each other’s essays using the SFL framework to answer the question “What did you learn from the genre analysis of your peer’s essay?” These reflections on learning shared through journals and interview data were analyzed to answer the question “What literacy strategies connected to learners’ cognitive and metacognitive knowledge can be found in their reflections on learning?” This cognitive and metacognitive knowledge was categorized into six features: top-down strategies, bottom-up strategies, the interactive approach to strategies, initial assessment, ongoing assessment, and the elaboration of strategies. Both bottom-up and top-down strategies were identified in the journals, especially among high-proficiency learners. EFL learners with lower English proficiency focused on the selection of lexical resources, a bottom-up strategy.

This study explores Korean EFL students’ megacognitive knowledge and perceived use of listening and speaking strategies depending on their levels of English proficiency. For this purpose, this study conducted a survey of 161 students at a university in Jeolla province. Based on the TOEIC scores the participants, they were divided into three different proficiency groups: basic, intermediate, and advanced. The findings demonstrated that the higher-level students understood the importance of metacognitive knowledge in English listening and speaking better than those of lower level. Furthermore, the advanced students were highly aware of the importance of metacognitive knowledge related to communicative purposes. With regard to the perceived use of listening and speaking strategies, the advanced students revealed more active use of listening and speaking strategies in real communication as well as in their English learning process compared to the other two groups. Based on these findings, pedagogical implications were made.

본 연구에서는 피지컬 컴퓨팅을 통한 프로젝트 기반 학습과 메타인지 전략이 초등학생의 지식정보처리 및 창의적 사고 역 량 변화에 미치는 교육적 효과를 탐색하였다. 이를 위해 충청남도 소재 W초등학교 5학년 1학급 학생 8명을 실험 집단과 통 제 집단으로 구분하여 연구를 진행하였다. 각 집단에는 피지컬 컴퓨팅을 통한 프로젝트 기반 학습을 실시하였으며 실험 집 단에는 추가적으로 메타인지 전략을 적용하였다. 역량 변화를 확인하기 위해 사전·사후 검사를 실시하였고 Mann–Whitney U test, Wilcoxon signed-rank test를 활용하여 집단 간 및 집단 내 변화 경향을 분석하였다. 그 결과, 두 집단 모두 지식정 보처리 및 창의적 사고 역량의 평균값이 전반적으로 향상되었으며, 특히 메타인지 전략을 적용한 실험 집단에서 상대적으로 긍정적인 변화가 관찰되었다. 본 연구는 소규모 표본을 대상으로 한 탐색적 연구로서 결과의 일반화에는 한계가 있으나 질 적 분석을 병행하여 이를 보완하고자 하였으며, 피지컬 컴퓨팅을 통한 프로젝트 기반 학습과 메타인지 전략이 초등학생의 지식정보처리 및 창의적 사고 역량 함양을 촉진할 수 있다는 가능성을 시사하였다.

This study explored the educational effects of Project-Based Learning (PBL) through physical computing and metacognitive strategies on changes in elementary students’ knowledge-information processing and creative thinking competencies. Eight fifth-grade students at W Elementary School in Chungcheongnam-do were divided into an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group was provided with additional metacognitive strategies. Pre– and post–tests were conducted, and the results were analyzed using Mann–Whitney U and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. Although the small sample size limits the generalizability of the findings, qualitative data were analyzed to address this limitation. The findings suggest the potential of Project-Based Learning through physical computing and metacognitive strategies to enhance elementary students’ knowledge-information processing and creative thinking competencies.

This article reports significant changes of Korean university students’ knowledge about cognition as a part of metacognitive knowledge in reading. This study was attempted to investigate the effects of explicit strategy instruction on Korean university learners’ awareness and views in terms of strategy use in their own reading processes, and also to investigate whether those changes contribute to the enhancement of their reading performance. Four university students were selected for a qualitative analysis and trained for 15 weeks through strategy instruction employing think-aloud procedures as an instructional model based on CALLA. The results, based on interviews, reading conceptions questionnaires, reading comprehension tests, and think-aloud protocols, revealed that their descriptions of reading processes and actual use of strategies became clearer and more elaborate after intervention. In addition, they used larger, more sophisticated pools of strategies in accordance with metacognitive knowledge. It also provides insight that such training was effective in promoting learners’ reading proficiency.

This study examined the effects of peer feedback combined with teacher feedback on L2 writing. From a review of related studies, several factors were selected as predictors of L2 writing proficiency: L2 knowledge and composition skills, L2writing anxiety, and metacognitive knowledge on L2 writing. Participants were 75college students, who were randomly assigned to the experimental or the control group. Both groups received teacher feedback, while the experimental group performed peer feedback activities, and the control group did self-reflective revision in addition. Data were collected from teacher and peer feedback, timed writing, an L2writing anxiety survey, and evaluation of a sample essay. A statistical analysis revealed differences between teacher and peer feedback. Peer feedback combined with teacher feedback appeared to be beneficial for increasing L2 knowledge and lowering L2 writing anxiety. In the regression analysis, writing anxiety predicted the level of L2 knowledge and composition skills. Based on the findings, implications for L2 writing class and suggestions for future studies are presented.

The purpose of the study was to develop an optimal form of support during the problem solving phase in productive failure for the learners to have the best benefit from their failing experience. The experiment took place for two weeks. The participants were divided into three groups of receiving no, optimized, or full support (N = 106) and the study measured learners’ representation and solution methods (“RSM”), cognitive load, and knowledge gap. The results indicated that participants in the no and optimized support condition produced significantly more diverse RSMs than those in the full support condition. However, the effect of the types of metacognitive prompts on RSM structuredness and cognitive load were not significant. In case of knowledge gap, learners in the optimized and full support group reported significantly more aware of knowledge gap than those in the no support group. It implies that the optimized form of support was able to privide learners with a chance to reflect their RSMs and be aware of their knowledge gap.

Effects of Metacognitive Knowledge and Working Memory on Task Performance Requiring Metacognitive Regulation Skills

이 연구는 쓰기의 인지적 과정에 대한 메타인지 지식, 교호적 쓰기신념 및 쓰기수행 간 관계를 알아보고, 메타인지 지식과 쓰기수행의 관계에서 교호적 쓰기신념의 매개효과를 검증하기 위하여 수행되었다. 일반계 고등학교 1학년 학생 123명에게 쓰기의 인지적 과정(계획, 텍스트생성, 교정)에 대한 메타인지 지식 질문지, 쓰기신념 질문지, 쓰기과제(서사글, 묘사글, 설명글, 설득글 쓰기)를 실시하였다. 상관분석과 구조방정식 모형을 활용하여 본 연구의 가설을 검증하였다. 본 연구에서 밝혀진 결과를 요약하면 다음과 같다. 첫째, 쓰기에 대한 메타인지 지식, 교호적 쓰기신념, 쓰기수행의 측정변수 간 단순상관이 유의하였다. 둘째, 쓰기의 인지적 과정에 대한 메타인지 지식과 쓰기수행 간 관계에서 교호적 쓰기신념을 매개변수로 설정한 부분매개모형과 완전매개모형 가운데 완전매개모형이 경험적 자료에 더욱 적합한 모형으로 판명되었다. 셋째, 완전매개모형에서 「메타인지 지식 → 교호적 쓰기신념」, 「교호적 쓰기신념 → 쓰기수행」의 경로계수가 모두 유의하였다. 따라서 쓰기의 인지적 과정에 대한 메타인지 지식이 많을수록 교호적 쓰기신념 수준이 높고, 교호적 쓰기신념 수준이 높을수록 쓰기의 질적 수준이 높은 것으로 해석하였다. 넷째, 쓰기의 인지적 과정에 대한 메타인지 지식과 쓰기수행의 관계에서 교호적 쓰기신념의 매개효과가 유의하였다. 이 연구의 결과가 쓰기교육 프로그램의 개발에 던지는 시사점과 후속연구를 위한 제언을 제시하였다.

This study was conducted to examine the relations of metacognitive knowledge about writing processes, transactional writing beliefs and writing performance, and to test the mediating effect of transactional writing beliefs. Thinking about Writing Questionnaire, Writing Beliefs Inventory, and four types of writing tasks (i.e., narrative, descriptive, expository, persuasive) were administered to 123 tenth-graders. Correlational analyses and structural equation modeling were conducted to test research hypotheses. The results were as follows. First, metacognitive knowledge was positively correlated with transactional writing beliefs, which were positively correlated with the quality of written composition. Second, the complete mediation model fit the data better than the partial mediation model. Third, in the complete mediation model, the path coefficient of 「metacognitive knowledge → writing beliefs」 and that of 「writing beliefs → writing performance」 were significant. Fourth, the mediating effect of transactional writing beliefs was significant. These results imply that transactional writing beliefs play the role of the generative mechanism that mediates the link between metacognitive knowledge and writing performance. The implications of the present findings for planning writing interventions and the suggestions for further research were offered.