Abstract

It is hypothesised that the use of metacognitive strategies will improve academic achievement of students. A teaching strategy called 4-META strategy has been developed on the basis of a metacognitive approach that is designed to improve the quality of writing of students. This study investigated the impact of the 4-META strategy on the quality of essay writing among form four students (ages 14– 15) in the Malaysian Education system. This study used a quasi experimental nonequivalent control group design. A total of 136 secondary students from three schools (two classes from each school) participated in this study. One class from each school were randomly assigned to either a treatment group (n=65) or a control group (n=71). The treatment group received the 4-META strategy, focusing on the use of four techniques to help them in the process of writing an essay. The results of the ANCOVA revealed that there was a statistically significant difference in the post-test score [F (1,133)=96.25, p=0.000, η2=0.420] between the treatment and control groups. The study provided evidence on the usefulness of metacognitive strategies in improving students’ performance in writing. It is suggested that further research adopt 4-META strategy approach in other subjects to identify the usefulness of the strategy across the discipline.