Investigating Metacognitive Writing Awareness among Japanese Language Learners

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures, University of Tehran Tehran, IRAN

10.22111/ijals.2026.54524.2585

Abstract

Given the key role of metacognition in improving second language learning, metacognitive awareness writing (MWA) has gained increasing importance as one of the factors affecting the quality of learners’ writing. However, few studies have systematically examined this concept among learners of Japanese as a foreign language (JFL), particularly with respect to individual differences such as gender, language proficiency, and writing ability. Relying on Flavell’s (1979) metacognitive theory and the Schraw and Moshman (1995) model, this study investigated MWA in 80 Iranian JFL learners. Using the Metacognitive Awareness Writing Questionnaire (MAWQ), metacognitive awareness in these learners was examined with regard to writing ability, language proficiency, and gender. Results showed that metacognitive awareness in these learners was significantly related to writing ability. However, despite the widely-held belief that higher linguistic competence is necessarily associated with greater writing ability, their linguistic competence was not significantly related to MWA, with no difference observed between females and males in the metacognitive components of writing. The findings highlight the need to teach metacognitive strategies in second language writing classes and to reconsider widely-held assumptions of a direct relationship between linguistic competence and writing ability.

Keywords

Iranian Journal of Applied Language Studies

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 08 September 2026

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