Conocimientos metacognitivos y autorregulación: una lectura cualitativa del funcionamiento de los estudiantes universitarios en la producción de textos

This research emerges from the world-wide problematic concerning student's failure. It particularly analyzes the meta-cognitive competences in the writing process of this population. Based on Flavell's (1992) viewpoint about meta-cognition and the socio-cognitive approach of self-regulation, two variables were measured: meta-cognitive knowledge and self-regulation strategies. A qualitative study was conducted on a sample of 12 French students at first year university. This study uses a specific technique of interview known as "explicitation interview". The data analysis included the categorization, codification and quantification of the information obtained with the interviews. In conclusion, even though the students had metacognitive knowledge related to the written tasks, they did not show strategies that could help to go beyond the descriptive modality of written discourses by taking into account the readers' expectations. Their writing processes focused on transcription of ideas with little control on the planning and revision phases.La presente investigación parte de la problemática mundial de deserción de los estudiantes universitarios y analiza en particular las competencias metacognitivas de este público en el campo de la redacción. Las variables de interés (los conocimientos metacognitivos y las estrategias de autorregulación) son analizadas con base en la noción de metacognición propuesta por Flavell (1992) y en el enfoque sociocognitivo de los procesos de autorregulación. Se llevó a cabo un estudio cualitativo a través de entrevistas de explicitación ante una muestra de 12 estudiantes de primer año de una universidad francesa. El análisis de los datos consistió en la categorización, la codificación y la cuantificación del contenido de las entrevistas. Se concluye que a pesar de poseer informaciones pertinentes para la tarea, los estudiantes no dan cuenta de estrategias para ir más allá de la modalidad descriptiva del discurso teniendo en cuenta las expectativas del destinatario. Sus procesos de redacción son centrados en la transcripción de ideas con poco control consciente de la planeación y de la revisión de los textos

Quel rôle de la métacognition dans les performances en écriture? Analyse de la situation d’étudiants en sciences humaines et sociales

Our research investigates the relationship between the metacognitive process and the writing performance of students in the first semesters of university. We formulate the hypothesis that the metacognition and the writing performance have a strong and positive relationship. A questionnaire was constructed to measure the metacognition process of students (n= 45). Also, an instrument to evaluate texts was elaborated to measure writing performance. Despite the importance of metaknowledge was emphasized, the data relativizes the relationship between self-regulation and performance. The results are observed according to the evaluation criteria of texts in the context analyzed.Keywords: metacognition, metaknowledge, self-regulation, text, studentsLe présent texte rend compte d’une recherche qui s’intéresse au rapport entre la métacognition et les performances en écriture des étudiants inscrits aux premiers semestres. À partir de l’hypothèse selon laquelle la métacognition et la performance ont un rapport positif significatif, nous avons construit puis administré un questionnaire afin de mesurer la variable métacognition auprès d’un échantillon de quarante-cinq étudiants. La variable « performances en écriture » a été évaluée à l’aide d’une grille d’évaluation d’écrits élaborée dans le cadre de cette étude. Si le rapport des métaconnaissances avec les performances en écriture est mis en valeur, ces résultats mènent à relativiser la relation supposée entre les stratégies d’autorégulation et les performances en écriture.Mots clés : métacognition, métaconnaissances, autorégulation, écriture, étudiant

Enseñanza y evaluación de la escritura en la universidad: análisis de prácticas declaradas de docentes franceses y colombianos

La presente investigación tenía por objetivo analizar las representaciones de los docentes universitarios sobre sus prácticas de enseñanza y de evaluación de la escritura académica. Fueron realizadas entrevistas semi-estructuradas a diez profesores de la carrera de Psicología en una institución colombiana y otra francesa, en torno a dos temas: los consejos dados a los estudiantes para realizar sus trabajos escritos y los criterios de evaluación para juzgar dichos trabajos. El conjunto de participantes declara asumir diversas maneras de enseñanza de la escritura en sus asignaturas, focalizándose principalmente en una perspectiva discursiva centrada en la instrucción de ciertas normas de los escritos académicos. Igualmente, aparecen ciertas discordancias entre la enseñanza y la evaluación de la escritura en cuanto a la función cognitiva del lenguaje escrito y a su dimensión lingüística, al igual que ciertas diferencias entre las muestras con relación a los métodos para enseñar a escribir. The present study aimed to describe the conceptions of professors concerning teaching and assessment of academic writing. Ten professors of Psychology who working in two universities, one Colombian and one French, were interviewed on two subjects: ¿what are the recommendations that they communicate to their students when they have to write their written tasks?, and ¿what are they criterion used to assess the academic texts produced by their students? It was found that the participants declare to be involved in teaching and assessing of academic writing, mainly through a discursive perspective which aims particularly the teaching some specific norms of academic genres in Psychology. Also, some discrepancies between assessing and teaching practices are revealed, mainly concerning epistemic function of writing and the linguistic dimension; also, a few differences between the samples are found concerning methods to teaching.

Metacognição, escritura e rendimento acadêmico em universitários da Colômbia e França

The main of this article were: (1) To describe the degree of objectives knowledge and the planning strategies identified by university students in relation to the process of developing written texts, and (2) to establish the link between the students’ perception about these processes and the academic success. The hypothesis was that the students that describe a low degree of metacognitive knowledge and planning strategies used in the process of writing, show low levels of academic success. A comparative and descriptive research design was used with 462 students selected intentionally from two psychology programs (231 Colombian and 231 French students with average age of 18.8 and 20.1 years old respectively). These students completed a questionnaire composed by two scales: Metacognitive Knowledge and Planning Strategies in Writing. It was found that the students acknowledged their metacognitive knowledge used when developing their written texts. The Colombian students described that they use planning strategies occasionally while the French students declared that they use this strategy more frequently. In addition, a positive correlation appeared between the metacognition and the academic success.La metacognición integra el conocimiento de los propios procesos cognitivos y el control o supervisión que ejercemos sobre ellos (Flavell, 1992). Estas dos habilidades intelectuales son decisivas para el éxito académico (Ellis, 2004), y un factor clave para comprender mejor el problema de la deserción y el bajo rendimiento académico. Los objetivos del presente estudio fueron a) describir los niveles de conocimientos metacognitivos y de estrategias de planificación que estudiantes universitarios reconocen en sus procesos de producción de textos, a) al igual que determinar la relación que existe entre dicha percepción de sus procesos metacognitivos implicados en la producción de textos y el rendimiento académico. Se postula como hipótesis que al declarar bajos niveles de conocimientos metacognitivos y de estrategias de planificación en la composición de textos, los estudiantes muestran bajos niveles de rendimiento académico. Fue utilizado un diseño descriptivo comparativo con 462 estudiantes universitarios seleccionados intencionalmente de dos programas de psicología (231 colombianos, 231 franceses, con edad promedio de 18,8 y 20,1 años respectivamente), quienes respondieron a un cuestionario de autoreporte sobre Metacognición compuesto por dos escalas: Conocimientos metacognitivos y Estrategias de planeación. Se encontró que los estudiantes declaran hacer uso de conocimientos metacognitivos al realizar sus trabajos escritos. Los estudiantes colombianos indican utilizar de manera ocasional las estrategias de planificación, mientras que los franceses indican que lo hacen con más frecuencia. Además, una correlación positiva aparece entre el nivel de rendimiento y los conocimientos metacognitivos.A metacognição integra o conhecimento dos próprios processos cognitivos e o controle ou supervisão que exercemos sobre eles. Estas duas habilidades intelectuais são decisivas para o sucesso acadêmico, e um fator chave para compreender melhor o problema da deserção e o baixo rendimento acadêmico. Os objetivos do  estudo foram: (1) descrever os níveis de conhecimento metacognitivos e de estratégias de planificação  identificados por estudantes universitários com relação aos seus processos de produção de textos, (2) determinar a relação que existe entre a percepção destes processos e o rendimento acadêmico. Se propõe como hipótese que ao declarar baixos níveis de conhecimentos metacognitivos e de estratégias de planificação na composição de textos, os estudantes mostram baixos níveis de rendimento acadêmico. Se utilizou uma elaboração descritiva comparativa com 462 estudantes universitários seleccionados intencionalmente de dois programas de psicologia (231 colombianos, 231 franceses, com idade média de 18.8 e 20.1 anos respetivamente), que responderam um questionário de autoreporte sobre Metacognição composto por duas escalas: Conhecimentos metacognitivos e Estratégias de planificação. Encontrou-se que os estudantes declaram fazer uso de conhecimentos metacognitivos ao realizar seus trabalhos escritos. Os estudantes colombianos indicam utilizar de maneira ocasional as estratégias de planificação, enquanto os franceses indicam que o fazem com maior frequência. Além disso, uma correlação positiva aparece entre o nível de rendimento e os conhecimentos metacognitivos.

Conocimientos metacognitivos y autorregulación: una lectura cualitativa del funcionamiento de los estudiantes universitarios en la producción de textos

La presente investigación parte de la problemática mundial de deserción de los estudiantes universitarios y analiza en particular las competencias metacognitivas de este público en el campo de la redacción. Las variables de interés (los conocimientos metacognitivos y las estrategias de autorregulación) son analizadas con base en la noción de metacognición propuesta por Flavell (1992) y en el enfoque sociocognitivo de los procesos de autorregulación. Se llevó a cabo un estudio cualitativo a través de entrevistas de explicitación ante una muestra de 12 estudiantes de primer año de una universidad francesa. El análisis de los datos consistió en la categorización, la codificación y la cuantificación del contenido de las entrevistas. Se concluye que a pesar de poseer informaciones pertinentes para la tarea, los estudiantes no dan cuenta de estrategias para ir más allá de la modalidad descriptiva del discurso teniendo en cuenta las expectativas del destinatario. Sus procesos de redacción son centrados en la transcripción de ideas con poco control consciente de la planeación y de la revisión de los textos.This research emerges from the world-wide problematic concerning student's failure. It particularly analyzes the meta-cognitive competences in the writing process of this population. Based on Flavell's (1992) viewpoint about meta-cognition and the socio-cognitive approach of self-regulation, two variables were measured: meta-cognitive knowledge and self-regulation strategies. A qualitative study was conducted on a sample of 12 French students at first year university. This study uses a specific technique of interview known as "explicitation interview". The data analysis included the categorization, codification and quantification of the information obtained with the interviews. In conclusion, even though the students had metacognitive knowledge related to the written tasks, they did not show strategies that could help to go beyond the descriptive modality of written discourses by taking into account the readers' expectations. Their writing processes focused on transcription of ideas with little control on the planning and revision phases

Quel rapport entre la métacognition et la performance à l’écrit ?

International audienceThis article examines how performance is facilitated with simple tasks and is impaired with complex ones in individuals experiencing dissonance. Experiment 1 measured the performance of dissonance participants at a simple reaction time task. Reaction times were shortest in the dissonance condition. This facilitation effect was interpreted as resulting from increased arousal with dissonance. In Experiment 2, participants performed a more complex secondary memory task that required to memorize and to recall short and long series of numbers. Participants in the dissonance condition performed less well than participants in the no-dissonance condition only under a high memory load and did not differ with a low load. It is suggested that dissonance requires some working memory resources. Accordingly, it is assumed that the arousal properties of dissonance facilitate performance with simple task that do not involve working memory and require a dominant response, but that dissonance impairs performance with tasks that strongly involve working memory

Teaching and assessing writing skills at university level: a comparison of practices in French and Colombian universities

International audienceBackground: The analysis of teachers’ conceptions about writing at university level allows the study of teaching practices associated with academic writing. At the same time, it is important to consider the context (disciplines, culture, institution, pedagogical organisation, etc.) where these practices take place.Purpose: The present article explores the teachers’ conceptions about teaching and assessing writing skills at university level from two academic programmes of psychology: one in France and one in Colombia, through two questions: (a) the writing skills that teachers expect their students to acquire from attending their courses, and (b) the criteria used by the teachers to assess the written performance of their students. The main purpose is to analyse the teaching and evaluation practices that teachers describe in their discourse, taking into account the discipline and some similarities and differences between cultural contexts.Sample: Ten university psychology teachers, five French and five Colombian, participated voluntarily in the study. The teachers were a heterogeneous group in terms of their ages and number of years of work experience. They taught a range of courses or subjects in the area of psychology.Design and methods: The research was conducted using a qualitative method. The university teachers’ conceptions were collected during semi-structured interviews. A content analysis of the interviews, using an inductive approach, was undertaken.Results: The analysis of the discourse indicates that the teachers focus their teaching practices on some specificities of the academic writing, and that they mainly assess different types of students’ knowledge. Additionally, a gap was observed between teaching and assessment practices, which concerns the cognitive dimensions of writing and the rules of academic discourse. This gap seems more evident in French teachers’ discourses. Colombian teachers described, in the main, teaching practices focused on the norms of academic writing.Conclusions: These findings suggest that some similarities between the teachers’ conceptions are associated with the discipline. Specific differences could be explained by culturally distinct pedagogical practices related to the manner of teaching at university level

Conocimientos metacognitivos y autorregulación: una lectura cualitativa del funcionamiento de los estudiantes universitarios en la producción de textos

La presente investigación parte de la problemática mundial de deserción de los estudiantes universitarios y analiza en particular las competencias metacognitivas de este público en el campo de la redacción. Las variables de interés (los conocimientos metacognitivos y las estrategias de autorregulación) son analizadas con base en la noción de metacognición propuesta por Flavell (1992) y en el enfoque sociocognitivo de los procesos de autorregulación. Se llevó a cabo un estudio cualitativo a través de entrevistas de explicitación ante una muestra de 12 estudiantes de primer año de una universidad francesa. El análisis de los datos consistió en la categorización, la codificación y la cuantificación del contenido de las entrevistas. Se concluye que a pesar de poseer informaciones pertinentes para la tarea, los estudiantes no dan cuenta de estrategias para ir más allá de la modalidad descriptiva del discurso teniendo en cuenta las expectativas del destinatario. Sus procesos de redacción son centrados en la transcripción de ideas con poco control consciente de la planeación y de la revisión de los textos.This research emerges from the world-wide problematic concerning student's failure. It particularly analyzes the meta-cognitive competences in the writing process of this population. Based on Flavell's (1992) viewpoint about meta-cognition and the socio-cognitive approach of self-regulation, two variables were measured: meta-cognitive knowledge and self-regulation strategies. A qualitative study was conducted on a sample of 12 French students at first year university. This study uses a specific technique of interview known as "explicitation interview". The data analysis included the categorization, codification and quantification of the information obtained with the interviews. In conclusion, even though the students had metacognitive knowledge related to the written tasks, they did not show strategies that could help to go beyond the descriptive modality of written discourses by taking into account the readers' expectations. Their writing processes focused on transcription of ideas with little control on the planning and revision phases

Helping students in higher education to improve their written products: effects of a pedagogic intervention study based on metacognition and sociocultural perspective

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Représentations de l'écriture à l'université : analyse de discours d'enseignants français et colombiens

International audienceThe following text explains the first results of a research study developed with professors from universities in France and Colombia. The goal of the study is to describe the professor’s knowledge and understanding of the writing and its implications in the students’ performance in the university. The study places special interest on the student’s desertion from university, the analysis of the problems they face to learn and develop papers, as well as to build knowledge through writing. Ten professors were interviewed and the information collected was analyzed. The results show two different approaches to define the writing (as process and as product), as well as the divergences among norms of reference taken into account by the professors. Although both the French and Colombian professors have in common their representation of the writing as product, the French exhibit variations in terms of their ideas in relation to the writing process because they also identify other processes (transcription and transformation) when defining it.Ce texte présente les premiers résultats d'une recherche exploratoire menée auprès d'enseignants français et colombiens afin de connaître leurs représentations relatives à l'écriture et au bien écrire à l'université. Notre recherche s'intéresse plus globalement à la problématique de réussite des étudiants, et à l'analyse des obstacles qu'ils rencontrent pour entrer dans l'écrit et pour construire des savoirs par l'écriture. Dix enseignants ont été interrogés dans le cadre d'entretiens semi-directifs qui ont donné lieu à des analyses de discours. Les résultats de l'étude mettent en valeur deux dimensions principales pour définir l'écriture (comme produit écrit et comme processus), ainsi que des écarts entre les deux groupes d'interviewés quant aux normes de référence mises en valeur. Si les enseignants français et colombiens se retrouvent quant à la dominance de la vision de produit écrit pour définir l'écriture, les déclarations des premiers semblent plus mouvantes que celles des seconds pour ce qui est des processus (de transcription ou de transformation de connaissances)