Publication:

Pre-service teachers’ metacognitive strategies in essay writing : a study of ESOL student teachers at teacher training school of Bouzareah Algeria

The use of active methods and strategies for teaching writing skills, such as Metacognitive Regulation Strategies (MRSs), are extremely important in enhancing students various capabilities in solving not only academic problems but also life issues. This is especially true for the pre-service student teachers who are learning English as a second language in Teacher Training Schools. In this regard, learning these strategies greatly impacts the development of the English language within the four skills in general and in writing in particular. Thus, teaching and training students on how to use these strategies play a vital role in the teaching and learning process. This study sought to explore the English language pre-service student teachers’ perspectives on Metacognitive Regulation Strategies (MRS) in essay writing at the Teacher Training School of Bouzareah, Algiers, Algeria. The study was informed by the Metacognition Theory of Flavell. Three key research questions were developed: 1) How do pre-service student teachers conceptualise the meaning of MRS, its role, and the ways of using these strategies? 2) To what extent these students were aware of using MRS in their essay writing? 3) Their attitudes toward using MRS in essay writing at the Teacher Training School of Bouzareah? The research paradigm chosen was mixed-method. For the qualitative part, a case study design was done involving twelve English students selected purposefully from the third, fourth, and fifth years, while the quantitative part was done through a survey questionnaire. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the data collection methods used were online in-depth interviews through the Google Meet platform, and about 300 survey questionnaires were distributed to the students via Google Forms. A total of 257 questionnaires were usable for the statistical analysis. Data were analysed thematically for the qualitative part while the SPSS 28 package and PLS Path Modelling were used for the quantitative part. The findings showed that the students hold multiple conceptual meanings of MRSs. The majority of them understood it as a conscious process guiding and regulating their essays. Most of them viewed MRS as having a great role in helping them write meaningful essays by setting clear plans for their essays, initiating their awareness in their pre-writing stage, and assisting them with the text structure and organization. In addition, the findings also showed that the students are highly aware of MRSs in writing their essays, making use of the evaluation strategy in the first place, then the planning strategy, followed by the monitoring strategy Thus, the results of the study show that MRS are useful tools to improve essay writing and increase motivation to write effectively in English as a second foreign language. This shows that MRSs are very useful in improving students writing skills. Of all the writing tools, MRSs seem to be a higher order skill that involves monitoring, planning and self-assessment and is most needed by ESOL students to write a clear and meaningful essay. The results of the study also show that the more proficient the students become in MRS, the more skilful and independent they become. However, the study shows that English teachers are not assessing students fully in writing. Therefore, there is a need for teacher trainers in Algeria to revise their pedagogical courses to formally incorporate MRSs into teaching writing skills. The Ministry of Education should also provide adequate teaching and learning facilities in reconstructing the existing curriculum to professionally promote the use of the English language. This inadequacy has been identified as one of the key obstacles to the effective implementation of MRSs at the Teacher Training School of Bouzareah in Algiers, Algeria.