Enhancing Self-Regulation Skills in EFL Pre-Service Teachers through Metacognitive Strategies

Abstract

This study investigates the effect of metacognitive strategies, such as (Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluating) in enhancing the self-regulation abilities of EFL pre-service teachers at Salahaddin University-Erbil by using a mixed-methods approach. Participants were 40 fourth year students who filled out a questionnaire and four full sessions in two fourth-year classes were observed. The results indicate that planning, monitoring and evaluating strategies are significantly related to the aspects of self-regulation improvement which were accepted by the majority of the respondents. However, assessment and evaluation function were barely found. Gender or age-specific differences are not observed, demonstrating the overall efficacy of the strategies. The results also verify the regular use of metacognitive strategies, namely reflecting and managing time, while goal setting and self‐evaluation is underutilized. The study confirms that the incorporation of metacognitive strategy training into teacher education programs can facilitate learners’ autonomy and equip pre-service teachers to be reflective practitioners. Additionally, it supports an institutionally systematic instruction to provide the necessary tools for future EFL teachers in order to deal with the dynamic variety of tasks within their profession.