Assessing metacognitive writing strategies and the predictive effects on multimedia writing

This study examined the predictive effects of metacognitive writing strategies on writing performance in a multimedia environment. Responses from 957 undergraduate English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Chinese students to a new instrument designed to measure metacognitive writing strategies for self-regulated learning were subjected to confirmatory factor analysis. Results validated an 11-factor correlated model of metacognitive writing strategies for self-regulated learning. Based on multiple regression analysis, 8 of the 11 metacognitive writing strategies significantly predicted learners’ multimedia writing performance. This study supports the application of self-regulated learning theory in educational psychology to applied linguistics, particularly to EFL writing research in multimedia environments. These findings highlight the roles of metacognitive writing strategies on university EFL learners’ multimedia writing performance.