The Effect of Instructional Treatment on ESL Students’ Writing Performance: A Comparative Study of Treatment and Control Groups
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55737/tk/2k25d.44099Keywords:
Academic writing, Metacognitive strategies, ESL Learners, Writing StrategiesAbstract
One of the most important abilities for attaining language proficiency is the ability to write. Previous studies have revealed that Pakistani English as a second language (ESL) students faced several writing issues. Nonetheless, there are few studies on the effect of metacognitive strategic interventional treatment on academic writing since researchers have been emphasising the impact of metacognitive strategies on reading and listening. The current study aimed to investigate the effect of metacognitive learning strategies on writing skills and the effect of metacognitive intervention on ESL undergraduate learners' writings in Baluchistan, Pakistan. The study used a quasi-experimental design in which two intact groups of ESL undergraduates participated in a metacognitive strategic intervention, including eight training sessions. Data were collected through a pre- and post-training writing task and were analysed through statistical analysis, SPSS version 23, according to Flowers' and Hayes' (1980) theory. To analyse the quantitative data, Independent Samples t-test, Paired Samples t-test, and One-way ANCOVA were performed in SPSS (version 24). The results revealed that the degree of metacognitive strategic awareness was low among the participants in the two groups of the study. The intervention was found to be significantly effective and assisted the students in the experimental group in improving their academic writing. This study implies that teaching metacognitive strategies plays a significant role in enhancing ESL undergraduate learners' writing skills and improving their writing scores. Therefore, teachers can use this strategy in teaching to help students improve their writing skills.
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