Examining the Extent of Self-Regulatory Strategy Use and Writing Competence of EFL Learners

Abstract

In recent years, many L2 writing scholars have extensively explored the writers' composing processes and the particular strategies they use for this purpose. In the same regard, the present study intended to examine the relationship between self-regulatory strategy use and writing competence of Iranian EFL learners. A total of 125 BA level students of English Language and Literature and English Language Teaching from three State Universities in Iran participated in the study and the necessary data were collected by administering an argumentative essay prompt, as a measure of the students' writing competence, and a self-regulatory strategy use in writing. The results of correlation and multiple regression analyses indicated that there was a low level of relationship between these two constructs and none of the sub-scales in self-regulatory scale could best predict students' writing competence, respectively. The self-regulatory strategy uses of more-and less-skilled student writers were also compared, but the results of independent samples t-test indicated that there was no significant difference between these learners in this regard. On the whole, the findings of present study revealed that Iranian EFL learners did not have an adequate command of writing strategies and were not able to use these mental resources while composing their texts, which is mostly the result of conducting writing classes in traditional modes and focusing upon product-oriented approaches. Therefore, due to the significance of strategy use in learning, EFL teachers must engage in effective efforts to develop their students' self-regulated strategies with strategy training embedded in their writing courses..