Metacognition training in the Chinese university classroom: An action research study

Abstract

In the author's previous teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) experience, he had found that Chinese university students were overdependent on teachers in EFL learning. Drawing on research on language learning strategies, he used metacognition training (MT) as a form of classroom intervention to promote learner autonomy. This article reports on an action research study of MT integrated in two TEFL courses (EFL Reading and Language Teaching Methodology) at a Chinese teachers' university. The aim of the study was to gain a better understanding of the professional context through exploring students' views towards the impact of MT on EFL learning. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected by means of questionnaires, and the results from the study of the first course were used to introduce improvements in the second. It was found that students generally held positive views towards MT incorporated into the regular EFL curriculum. The study has also identified concerns that merit further explorations and areas of MT that need amendment, e.g. learner resistance to MT, and learning journals as a reflective learning tool.