写作元认知结构方程模型研究

Investigating the Effects of Metacognition in EFL Writing: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

元认知是指人们了解、控制和监测自己认知活动的能力。关于元认知的构成及其具体作用等方面的问题,学界仍然众说纷纭。为了进一步探究元认知的构成、作用及其本质,我们对我国三个城市107所大学的308名学习者进行了问卷调查和作文水平测试。通过使用结构方程模型统计软件(Amos4.0)对调查数据进行统计分析以及对前期因子分析推导出的“二语写作元认知的理论框架”(详见吴红云、刘润清2004)的验证和修改,我们发现元认知由元认知主体评估、元认知策略和元认知任务评估三大要素构成。其中,元认知主体评估和元认知策略对写作成绩有直接和重要的影响,而元认知任务评估通过主体评估对写作成绩产生间接影响。元认知是影响作文成绩的重要变量。与英语四级成绩相比,元认知主体评估对作文成绩的直接影响更大。

This study uses structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the causal relationships between writing metacognition and writing performance. A total of 308 college students participated in the study that required them to do writing metacognitive questionnaires and a writing test. The results showed that (a) metacognition for L2 writing consisted of 3 major components: metacognitive strategy, metacognitive assessment of writing problems, and metacognitive assessment of tasks; (b) 'metacognitive assessment of writing problems' and 'metacognitive strategy' produced direct and significant effects on writing while 'metacognitive assessment of tasks' produced indirect effects on writing through 'metacognitive assessment of writing problems'; and (c) metacognition was a significant predictor of the L2 writing achievement, for metacognition produced greater effects on writing performance than language proficiency. These findings lead to a readjustment of the metacognitive framework for L2 writing previously constructed by a factor analysis, thus yielding a more comprehensive picture of metacognition in EFL writing with respect to its components, categorization, and functions.