Determinants of Metacognitive Components of Writing in University Students

Academic writing in the university context requires specific cognitive and metacognitive processes. Objective: To analyze the determinants of two key metacognitive components in writing: planning and revision, in relation to the academic background and sociodemographic characteristics of health sciences students. Methodology: A total of 548 Colombian university students participated by completing two self-report questionnaires on metacognitive components of writing. Exploratory factor analyses were conducted to validate the instruments, followed by descriptive analyses to characterize the sample. Subsequently, analysis of variance (ANOVA) was applied to identify differences in the evaluated components based on sociodemographic variables. Results: The subcomponent of generation, related to planning, varied according to gender and age. Selection, another planning component, was associated with gender, with men scoring higher than women. Regarding revision, covert self-regulation was influenced by sociodemographic characteristics. Conclusions: The observed differences may be related to pedagogical practices, field of study, or individual factors. These findings should be considered when designing strategies to strengthen academic writing skills at the university level.