Validating a Self-Regulated Writing Strategy Questionnaire for Sri Lankan ESL Learners at the Tertiary Level

Abstract

L2 writing is a crucial skill that university students strive to improve, as writing proficiency is essential to succeed in their academic studies. Similarly, self-regulated writing (SRW) strategies play a significant role in enhancing students’ writing abilities.  This study aimed to explore university students’ use of self-regulated writing strategies, and through this process, we validated a model of student self-regulated writing strategies as a theoretical framework. This study validated a 7-point Likert scaled SRW strategy questionnaire comprising 37 items organized under five key dimensions: cognitive, metacognitive, social, motivational regulation, and behavioural.  A total of 320 university students majoring in engineering technological fields participated in this study rating self-regulated writing strategies under five dimensions. Principal Component Analysis was utilized to examine the underlying factor structure of the questionnaire, which resulted in identification of eight constructs. These eight constructs collectively accounted for 64% of the total variance. The high reliability of the constructs further confirmed the validity and consistency of the questionnaire, ensuring that the validated instrument is robust for future research on self-regulated writing strategies in the L2 context and can inform both practical applications and future research in L2 writing instruction. 

KEYWORDS:  Self-regulated writing strategies, cognition, metacognition, motivation, Sri Lankan ESL context