The Role of Metacognitive Writing Strategies in ESL Academic Writing: A Case Study of Malaysian Undergraduates

Academic writing requires ESL writers to excel in using language and writing mechanics during the writing process. The process is not easy especially for the second language users. To monitor and regulate the writing process, Metacognitive writing strategies have been introduced. Metacognitive writing strategies are one of the writing strategies that consists of three components which are planning, monitoring, and evaluating. These components are believed to influence the writers? writing skill as well as to boost their writing performance. This quantitative study was conducted to explore the perception of the use of metacognitive strategies in academic writing among undergraduates. A purposive sample of 108 participants responded to the survey. The participants were undergraduates from two public universities in Johor and Selangor. A set of survey questionnaire with four sections is the instrument used is a 5 Likert - scale survey to reveal the variables. The data obtained were analyzed by using the software of Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS). The significance of this study lies in its potential to improve the teaching of academic writing for ESL learners, by demonstrating the importance of metacognitive strategies in enhancing writing performance and reducing anxiety.