Proceedings of The 8th International Conference on New Approaches in Education
Year: 2024
DOI:
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Metacognition and Formulation of Monolinguals, Bilinguals, and Biliterates: Knowledge to Writing
Elaine NG
ABSTRACT:
This paper critically examines writing and reports the overarching findings from a two-part mixed-methods study. These findings serve as the foundation for a future monograph, building upon the author’s previous research on the metacognition (i.e., what writers know) and formulation processes (i.e., what writers do) of three groups of Sydney high-school students: English monolinguals (N = 40), Chinese-English bilinguals (N = 40), and Chinese-English biliterates (N = 40). The author’s earlier research on metacognition in writing demonstrated that monolinguals possessed an advantage in their knowledge of writing strategies. At the same time, biliterates exhibited a higher level of metacognitive awareness in error and language rule classification. The author’s subsequent research on the effects of biliteracy observed distinct writing characteristics of the three groups. Monolinguals (N = 10) displayed a strategic use of vocabulary, while bilinguals (N = 10) and biliterates (N = 10) demonstrated prospective and retrospective problem-solving behaviours when formulating English texts. Overall, these group differences suggest that it is not feasible to categorically declare one group as more knowledgeable in writing than the others. Instead, each group exhibited distinct patterns of knowledge and behaviours that reflect specific strengths in writing. The paper concludes by providing a holistic perspective on the writing of the three groups, with key findings discussed in relation to the author’s earlier investigations into the writing processes and metacognition of individuals mastering one or two languages.
keywords: Bilingualism, effects of biliteracy, problem-solving formulation, metacognitive knowledge, writing processes