Enhancing young learners’ metacognitive awareness through feedback in writing classrooms

Abstract

Feedback plays a pivotal role in promoting writing proficiency and, as such, there is a need for it to be effective in order to move writing forward. Currently, feedback practices related to writing in Singapore have largely focused on error correction or on evaluating the written product based on a predetermined set of assessment criteria. Such practices may be neither impactful nor useful to young learners who are at the formative stages of their writing development. Moreover, the literature indicates that teachers lack an awareness of the importance of the feedback they give, and often fail to give feedback aimed at heightening the metacognitive awareness of their learners. Feedback aimed at enhancing young learners’ metacognitive awareness is also an area that has generally been underexplored where writing is concerned. This article aims to address these areas as it discusses how teachers can innovate or improve upon their existing feedback practices in order to foster young learners’ metacognitive awareness in writing. Such an orientation is critical as emphasis is placed on assisting young learners in thinking about the ‘what’ and ‘how’ of the processes involved in writing and also on developing their self-regulated thinking. In adopting such a practice, feedback provided progresses beyond the form-focused or product-oriented practices that teachers usually subscribe to. Learners also become actively involved in ways they can develop their writing further. Provision of feedback in such a manner can effectively move writing forward. The paper concludes with suggestions on how teachers can be supported in their efforts towards more effective feedback approaches alongside articulating future pedagogical directions that can be explored for writing.