Study on Freshmen’Metacognitive Knowledge of Business English-Majors in English Writing

Based on the investigation of freshmen’metacognitive knowledge of business English-majors in English writing,the results show that:(1)the metacognitive subject knowledge of business English freshmen is at the middle level,the metacognitive task knowledge is at a high level,the strategy of seeking teachers'help is at a high level,and the use of other strategies is at a middle or lower level;(2)There is no significant differences between high and low group learners in their views on Chinese writing level and in their strategies of seeking help from classmates;(3)Multiple regression analysis shows that the main factors affecting English writing achievement are the views on writing standard,the utilization of strategies in writing process and strategies of seeking help from teachers.

Metacognitive Knowledge of Tertiar yLevel EFL Reading: Case Studies in an Acquisition-Poor Context

This paper describes how a group of Chinese tertiary-level EFL readers utilized metacognitive knowledge in their academic reading process by contrasting the possible metacognitive differences between two less successful and two successful Chinese EFL readers. Data were collected through think-alouds, interviews and observations. It was found that although vocabulary posed difficulties for both successful and less successful readers, the deployment of strategic knowledge of tackling the unknown words made a difference between successful and less successful readers. The participants＇ person knowledge about motivation such as reader interest, goal of reading and reader role could exert influences on their reading. Implications of the findings for tertiary EFL reading pedagogy in China are discussed.

STUDENTS' METACOGNITIVE KNOWLEDGE IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE LISTENING

This article reports on a diary study that revealed beliefs and knowledge second language learn-ers had about their listening.From an analysis of the diaries of 35 ESL learners,it was found that manyof them had clear ideas about three aspects of listening:their own role,the demands and strategies forlistening.The article discusses the implications of these findings for the teaching and learning of listeningin ELT programmes and calls for more discussion to increase learners’ metacognitive awareness in listen-ing.

Assessing the Correlation Between Taskinduced Involvement Load, Word Learning, and Learners' Regulatory Ability

The present study, using quantitative and qualitative analyses, aimed at delineating the interrelationship between the knowledge of metacognition and the regulation of metacognition, along with the role of learners＇ regulatory ability in mediating the effects of task-induced involvement load on word learning. A total of 60 university EFL students were recruited to the study. They first completed a checklist on metacognition and were then assigned to complete three tasks with varying degrees of involvement load followed by a vocabulary test. Of them, 12 students also participated in an interview. The results showed that the two main components of metacognition, i.e., the knowledge and regulation of metacognition, are closely and significantly correlated. The learners, assigned to four different ability groups （LK/LR, LK/HR, HK/LR, HK/HR）, were found to benefit most by engaging in a task with the highest involvement load. Despite the benefits, their regulatory ability mediated the effects of task-induced involvement load on word learning, which was corroborated by the interview results. The relevant implications for teaching and learning words through tasks are further discussed.