Metacognitive Awareness of Writing Strategies, Oral Proficiency, and Writing Instructions: A Structural Equation Model of Academic Writing Skills in Filipino Language

Aims: To determine the best-fit model for the academic writing skills of students in the Filipino language using metacognitive awareness of writing strategies, oral proficiency, and writing instructions as exogenous variables and academic writing skills as endogenous variables. Study design: The study used Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted at private schools in Region 12, Philippines, during the school year 2023-2024. Methodology: The study's respondents were Grade 12 students from private schools selected using Raosoft. A four-part questionnaire was employed to collect the data. All items in each indicator received a high Cronbach's alpha coefficient, indicating excellent internal consistency and reliability, suggesting that the instruments are highly reliable. Results: The study revealed that metacognitive awareness of writing strategies, oral proficiency, writing instruction, and academic writing skills is highly evident among students in varied situations. The results indicate that students frequently use writing strategies based on their metacognitive awareness in planning, monitoring, and evaluating their academic compositions. Moreover, a high level of oral proficiency, including accurate pronunciation and comprehension, along with effective writing instruction, contributes to the improvement of students' academic writing skills. Furthermore, there was a significant relationship and influence between the three exogenous variables and the endogenous variable, indicating a strong correlation. Out of the five models analyzed, Model 5 exhibited indices that aligned with the criteria for selecting the most appropriate model, which suggests that the goodness of fit measures are highly acceptable. Conclusion: The study shows that specific indicators have peaked, but activities that enhance students' academic writing skills and oral proficiency can lead to further improvement. Teachers play an important role in facilitating learning by providing clear instructions on writing standards and methods. Moreover, receiving feedback from teachers and peers is crucial for improving students' proficiency in academic writing, specifically in areas such as grammar, spelling, language structure, and technical aspects. The study emphasizes that high levels of metacognitive awareness of writing strategies, oral proficiency, and writing instructions significantly contribute to academic writing skills in the Filipino language.