Students' difficulties in producing texts that meet the requirements of academic writing are a recurring concern for teaching staff and those responsible for university courses. Various initiatives are currently being taken, mainly at undergraduate level, to help students improve the quality of their writing. Research into metacognitive processes and the self-regulation of learning can be used to support the design of these writing support systems, particularly by providing a better understanding of the students' difficulties.
This book reviews the concepts of metacognition and self-regulation in relation to writing processes. It analyses the metacognitive components involved in text production, their links with successful writing and their individual and contextual determinants. It completes this analysis by drawing on the teaching and assessment of writing in higher education. All of these elements are articulated around a multifactorial modeling of the learning and teaching of academic writing.
Table of Contents
Foreword xi
Laurent COSNEFROY
Introduction xv
Part 1 Metacognition and Writing: Theoretical Insights 1
Introduction to Part 1 3
Chapter 1 Better Understanding of Metacognition and Self-regulation of Learning 5
1.1 Two theoretical perspectives 5
1.2 On the contributions of a cognitive-centered approach to metacognition 6
1.3 Metacognition seen from a sociocognitive perspective 7
1.4 Conclusion 8
Chapter 2 Knowledge about Oneself, Knowledge about One's Strategies of Learning 11
2.1 Knowing more about metacognitive knowledge 11
2.2 The development of metacognitive knowledge 14
2.3 Review of research on the links between metacognitive knowledge and success in learning 17
2.4 Conclusion 19
Chapter 3 Self-regulation in Written Production 21
3.1 Self-regulation of writing: mapping processes and understanding their dynamics 21
3.2 Profiles of self-regulation of writing 28
3.3 Links between self-regulation and performance 30
3.4 Conclusion 33
Chapter 4 Measuring the Metacognitive Dimensions of Writing 35
4.1 A plurality of methodological approaches for the study of metacognition 36
4.2 Construction and validation of two questionnaires to measure metacognitive processes in writing 37
4.3 Understanding effective writing practices: observation protocol for self-regulation of writing 40
4.4 Methodological challenges of the necessary triangulation of data 42
4.5 Conclusion 43
Conclusion to Part 1 45
Part 2 Metacognitive Dimensions and Writing: From the Study of Links to the Analysis of Effects 47
Introduction to Part 2 49
Chapter 5 Interactions and Determinants 51
5.1 Studying the links between metacognition and success 51
5.2 Seeking differences in ways of managing the constraints of academic writing 61
5.3 Determinants of metacognition among students 63
5.4 Overall conclusion 68
Chapter 6 On the Characteristics and Benefits of Teaching Tools Targeting Writing Processes and Metacognition 69
6.1 The principles of Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) 70
6.2 On the effects of teaching writing strategies among students 72
6.3 Teaching writing in higher education from a perspective based on cognitive processes 75
6.4 Conclusion 81
Chapter 7 Study of the Contributions of the SRSD Procedure in Higher Education 83
7.1 Objectives, context and principles of the intervention 83
7.2 Research methodology and phases of the didactic experiment 85
7.3 Main results and discussion 86
Conclusion to Part 2 93
Part 3 Conceptions and Approaches for Teaching and Assessing Academic Writing 95
Introduction to Part 3 97
Chapter 8 Theoretical Insights 99
8.1 Defining teachers' conceptions and other related terms 99
8.2 Understanding the conceptions of higher education teachers 100
8.3 Conclusion 102
Chapter 9 Characterizing the Conceptions and Teaching Approaches of Higher Education Teachers 105
9.1 Conceptions and approaches to teaching writing: describing their content and their interactions 105
9.2 Variations in conceptions and approaches to teaching in higher education 108
9.3 Conclusion 111
Chapter 10 Three Studies to Better Understand the Teaching of Writing 113
10.1 Analysis of the conceptions and pedagogical approaches of psychology teachers: a qualitative study 113
10.2 Analysis of pedagogical approaches in the field of health 122
10.3 Pedagogical approaches across different academic disciplines 129
10.4 Summing up: a development and some resistance 133
10.5 Conclusion 134
Conclusion to Part 3 137
General Conclusion 139
Part 4 Appendices 155
Appendix 1 157
Appendix 2 159
Appendix 3 161
Appendix 4 163
Appendix 5 165 References 167
Index of Names 187
Index of Ideas 191
