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Reflective practices (RPs) are widely acknowledged for cultivating both cognitive and metacognitive development in educational contexts. However, very limited empirical research has investigated the impact of integrating metacognitive strategies (MCS) and RPs on writing achievement in English as a third language (L3) contexts like Morocco. This mixed-methods study, using an explanatory sequential design, examined the combined effect of MCS and RPs instruction on enhancing writing achievement at a public university. The participants were 85 Moroccan English majors, who were assigned to an experimental group (EG, n = 45) and a control group (CG, n = 40). An argumentative writing test was used to assess students’ writing performance pre- and post-intervention, while focus group discussions and self-reflective reports were conducted to identify participants’ writing difficulties and their reflection on the strategy-based instruction. Quantitative data was analyzed using Mixed-ANOVA tests, while the focus group discussions and reflective reports were analyzed thematically. The results revealed that the EG obtained higher writing scores than the CG. Additionally, findings revealed that the EG students held positive perceptions of the training, demonstrated increased self-reflection, and showed improved writing confidence and proficiency. The findings highlight the potential of reflective processes to enhance both linguistic and reflective outcomes in EFL writing.
Hosayny et al. (Tue,) studied this question.