Date of Award
4-18-2018
Document Type
Capstone
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Angela Fournier
Second Advisor
Season Ellison
Third Advisor
Marsha Driscoll
Abstract
Many institutions aim to bring new social dynamics to their education system, as well as to increase diversity within and between institutions. One way higher-education institutions reach this goal is with outreach programs geared towards international students. These students’ cultures have provided a framework that built their schemas, and this in turn molded their style of writing. Lacking years of foundation building through the American school system, international students may struggle to fulfill the requirements for successful writing in American universities. However, professors have at their disposal a tool to aide students – feedback that incorporates metacognition. This study investigated whether Culturally-Oriented Metacognitive Feedback (COMF) improved the writing performance of international students more than Traditional Feedback (TF) using the PEG Writing Scholars Program. A between-subjects experiment was conducted, and results demonstrated that there was no significant difference in pre-test and post-test scores between the COMF and TF groups, nor were there any significant changes in the categorical scores given by PEG, between groups. Despite this, qualitative data demonstrated perceived differences between the writing pedagogy in the students’ country of origin and the writing pedagogy of professors at American universities. Furthermore, the differences went beyond country to country: there were also perceived differences in writing within the same culture. These differences highlight the complexity of cultural influences, and the need for greater awareness.
Recommended Citation
Maltais, Daniela, "Culture in Context: A Pilot Study on Culturally-Oriented Metacognitive Feedback (COMF)" (2018). Honors Capstones. 5.
https://pines.bemidjistate.edu/honors-cap/5
