Mediating role of critical thinking skills in the relationship between metacognitive strategies and writing proficiency among EFL undergraduates in China

Writing proficiency is a cognitive skill that reflected the systematic integration of lexical resources and syntactic structures to construct coherent and nuanced discourse. However, cognitive constraints often obstruct Chinese EFL learners from articulating their perspectives with clarity and sophistication. Given these challenges, the cultivation of cognitive mechanisms, particularly metacognitive strategies and critical thinking skills, is paramount in advancing their writing proficiency. While prior research has underscored the predictive role of metacognitive strategies and critical thinking skills in writing performance, the intricate interplay between these cognitive constructs and the mediating effect of critical thinking skills remains insufficiently explored. To address this gap, the present study systematically investigates these relationships among EFL learners in Chinese universities. Adopting a rigorous quantitative approach, data were collected from 211 respondents across public and private institutions using a metacognitive strategies questionnaire, a critical thinking essay test, and a writing proficiency assessment. The data underwent comprehensive statistical analysis, encompassing descriptive and correlational examinations, followed by structural equation modeling (SEM) with SPSS and AMOS, ensuring an empirical and theoretically grounded validation of the research hypotheses. Accordingly, the findings revealed that metacognitive strategies, including declarative, procedural, and conditional knowledge, alongside planning, monitoring, and evaluating strategies, significantly influenced EFL learners’ use of critical thinking skills and their writing proficiency. Moreover, critical thinking skills, encompassing understanding, interpretation, analysis, evaluation, induction, and deduction, played a substantial role in enhancing the writing proficiency of EFL learners. Importantly, critical thinking skills significantly mediated the relationship between metacognitive strategies and writing proficiency, underscoring their essential role. The study’s implications suggest the importance of integrating metacognitive strategies and critical thinking skills in writing pedagogy. Learners are encouraged to apply these learning strategies effectively in managing their writing processes. Notably, emphasizing the thinking process is crucial, particularly in using effective critical thinking skills during writing tasks. Lastly, the study contributes to the understanding of cognitive processes in writing among Chinese EFL undergraduates.

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