Performance, Feedback, and Revision - Metacognitive 2015 CELT Vol. VIII - Approaches to Undergraduate Essay Writing

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by awa

Metacognitive approaches to first-year undergraduate essay writing are examined through a semester-long project in a first-year English literature course. Sixty-eight students completed three scaffolded exercises using a predetermined assessment process, then wrote and evaluated their own essays with the same criteria. The study evaluates efficacy via student feedback (quantitative and qualitative) and an analysis of marks. Findings indicate that frequent feedback, early intervention, transparent criteria, and structured writing opportunities support improved writing performance.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

Performance, Feedback, and Revision

Metacognitive approaches to undergraduate essay writing

Project design and scaffolded assessment process

Evaluation via feedback and marks

Research foundations for teaching and learning

Performance, Feedback, and Revision: Metacognitive 2015 CELT Vol. VIII [celt. uwindsor.ca](celt. uwindsor.ca) [www.stlhe.ca](www.stlhe.ca) Approaches to Undergraduate Essay Writing Dr. Jessica Riddell Bishop’s University This paper explores ways in which frequent feedback and clear assessment criteria can improve students’essay writing performance in a first-year English literature course. Students (n = 68) completed a series of three scaffolded exercises over the course of a semester, where they evaluated undergraduate essays using a predetermined assessment process. They were then asked to write their own essays and evaluate them using the same assessment criteria. The efficacy of the project was evaluated based upon student feedback, both quantitative and qualitative, and an analysis of their marks. The essay-writing project was informed by fundamental principles supported by research in teaching and learning: namely, that early intervention in first-year courses helps students improve their essay-writing skills, clear and transparent expectations are crucial for positive student perceptions of learning, carefully scaffolded assignments help students develop their writing skills over time, and increasing the frequency of writing opportunities andfeedback leads to higher learning outcomes. Findings suggest that a metacognitive approach to essay writing can provide significant opportunities for students to improve their essay-writing skills. The essay-writing project has implications for those who plan, support, and deliver first-year university courses, particularly those courses involving academic writing assignments. Essayunivewrsitingty stuisdens skill that the majority of are expected to cultivate at some point in their undergraduate careers, whatever the major. It is rare for a student to complete their studies in higher education without encountering a significant piece of writing as a component of their coursework (Hounsell, 2005; Nimmo, 1977) . Although the type of essay varies between disciplines (e.g., expository, persuasive, analytical, argumentative), essay assignments are designed to develop common core competencies such as written communication, critical thinking skills, inquiry and analysis, and information literacy (e.g., Court, 2014; Henderson, 1980; Hounsell, 1997; McCune, 2004) . Depending on the essay topic and the discipline, students may also be asked to develop a wide range of other competencies, including civic knowledge and engagement, intercultural knowledge, ethical reasoning and action, and creative and adaptive problem solving (Prosser & Webb, 1994) . Ideally, an essay assignment enables the instructor to assess students’ development of these various competencies while at the same time providing important opportunities for learning, which in part explains the ubiquity of the essay as an assessment tool in higher education (Campbell, Smith, & Brooker, 1998; Henderson, 1980; Hounsell, 2005; McCune, 2004; Nightingale, 1988) . There have been significant contributions to research on essay writing in the last two decades (e.g., Angelova & Riatzantseva, 1999; Beaufort, 2004; Casanave, 2002; Harwood, Austin, & Macaulay, 2012; Knudson, 2014; Leki, 2007; Lillis, 2001; Mahalski, 1992; Pecorari, 2008; Sternglass, 1997) . Scholars from various disciplines have investigated topics as diverse as the discrepancies between instructor and student expectations for assessment, the different stylistic conventions of writing across disciplinary and institutional boundaries, student perceptions of the value of essay writing, problemoriented collaborative writing projects in the humanities, the prevalence of plagiarism, the ethics and efficacy of third-party proof-reading, and the relative value of study skill manuals for improving writing skills and competencies. Although the essay occupies a central place in university assessment, a number of scholars have commented on the lack of attention

FAQs

What is the core idea of the paper’s approach to essay writing?

The paper argues that a metacognitive approach—supported by frequent feedback and clear, transparent assessment criteria—can improve students’ essay-writing performance.

How did students participate in the project described in the paper?

Students completed three scaffolded exercises across a semester, evaluating undergraduate essays using a predetermined assessment process, and then wrote and evaluated their own essays with the same criteria.

How was the project’s impact evaluated?

Impact and efficacy were assessed using student feedback in both quantitative and qualitative forms, along with an analysis of students’ marks.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by awa