Enhancing metacomprehension accuracy and regulation decisions in writing from multiple texts: The role of rubrics

Writing from multiple texts is a widespread task in higher education and requires advanced reading, writing and self-regulatory skills. Research shows that learners often struggle to accurately evaluate their performance in such tasks. This study examines whether rubrics can enhance self-assessment accuracy and improve regulatory decisions when university history students write essays from conflicting historical texts. A total of 115 students were randomly assigned to a guided rubric or unguided rubric condition. Participants in the guided rubric condition used assessment criteria, performance level and descriptors to assess their essays after reading three texts on a historical controversy, whereas the unguided rubric condition used only criteria and performance levels. Metacomprehension and regulation accuracy were measured. While guided rubrics did not significantly enhance overall metacomprehension accuracy or regulation, the impact of guided rubric use varied as a function of students' essay performance. This study • Examines whether rubrics improve metacomprehension accuracy and self-regulation in complex writing tasks. • Addresses challenges of synthesizing information from multiple, conflicting texts. • Shows that essay-writing performance predicts metacomprehension accuracy across conditions. • Demonstrates that essay performance moderates the effect of rubric on regulation. • Clarifies how rubrics can support students in managing demanding academic tasks.