The employment of self - Regulated strategies in writing process by English - major freshmen at ho chi minh city open university

 Journal of Science Ho Chi Minh City Open University – No. 4 (16) 2015 – December/2015 91 
THE EMPLOYMENT OF SELF-REGULATED STRATEGIES IN 
WRITING PROCESS BY ENGLISH-MAJOR FRESHMEN AT 
HO CHI MINH CITY OPEN UNIVERSITY 
Pham Vu Phi Ho
1
, Nguyen Thi Kim Thanh
2
1,2
Ho Chi Minh City Open University 
Email: ho.pham@ou.edu.vn 
(Received: 06/10/2015; Revised: 05/12/2015; Accepted: 07/12/2015) 
ABSTRACT 
The current study aims to investigate the employment of self-regulated strategies (SRS) and 
the gender differences in using SRS in learners’ writing processes. Zimmerman’s model of self-
regulated learning and thirty SRS are used. This is the survey study and its research instruments 
are the questionnaire and the interview. The participants of the study are ninety-three first-year 
students who major in English language of Faculty of Foreign Languages at HCMC Open 
University. This study finds that learners used twenty-seven SRS in their writing processes 
including fifteen sub-strategies of self-efficacy strategies and twelve other SRS such as 
organizing and transforming strategies, goal setting and planning strategies, seeking 
information strategies, environmental structuring strategies, time management strategies, 
imagery strategies, self-instruction strategies, self-consequence strategies, keeping records and 
monitoring strategies, seeking for social assistance strategies from friends, seeking for social 
assistance strategies from teachers, and self-evaluation strategies. Also, the study finds the 
gender differences in using five SRS including self-efficacy strategy to write the introduction 
paragraph, organizing and transforming strategies, seeking information strategies, self-efficacy 
strategy to refocus on writing when the distractions are occurred, and keeping record and 
monitoring strategies for note taking. 
Keywords: self-regulated strategies, writing process. 
1. Introduction 
Writing is considered as the sophisticated 
and complex process in academic context 
(Hammann, 2005, p.15; Limpo and Alves, 
2013, p.401) while it plays a significant role 
in all learning tasks (Zimmerman and 
Bandura, 1994, p.846). Writing tasks are 
related to the critical intellectual (Bruning and 
Horn, 2000, p. 30). Academic writing towards 
educational goals involves in not only the task 
assessments but also the development of 
critical thinking and cognitive support. 
A writing task always requires learners to 
possess not only content knowledge about 
ideas, lexicon, and grammatical structures and 
rhetorical knowledge such as writing genres, 
planning, and idea expressions but also 
individual regulation because writing is 
considered as the self-process (Zimmerman 
and Risemberg, 1997, p.73). Apart from these 
difficulties, there are the challenges from 
learners’ behaviors that affect the writing 
success inside and outside the classroom 
contexts (Lane et al., 2011, p.322). It is 
92 The employment of self-regulated strategies in writing process by english... 
supposed that learners’ writing processes can 
be enhanced when they effectively carry out 
the tasks by using the effective strategies. 
Using SRS is a suggestion since self-regulated 
strategies (SRS) can make learners pay more 
attention to their own cognitive processes and 
they are able to face with the problems for 
writing achievement. 
Over the years, various studies have 
investigated the role of SRS in writing 
performance (Bereiter and Scardamalia, 1987; 
cited in Zimmerman and Risemberg, 1997, 
p.74). The term of SRS is regarded as the 
actions and processes for learners as agent of 
their own learning to acquire knowledge 
purposefully and consciously (Zimmerman, 
1989, p.329). The cognitive processes of SRS 
contribute the supportive role to the writing 
performance (Pajares, 2003, p.141). In 
writing, using SRS is the process that enables 
learners to transfer their cognition to their 
performance (Zimmerman, 2008, p.166). It 
arises from a purpose of learning so that 
learners feel being motivated for their own 
learning. Learners become self-regulated 
learners or expert learners who successfully 
perform the academic tasks with confidence, 
diligence, and resourcefulness (Peggy and 
Timothy, 1996, p.1). 
The current study has two aims for the 
issues of SRS in writing. Firstly, the study 
analyzes how learners apply SRS in different 
phases of their writing processes. The issue is 
exposed when learners express their opinions 
about the procedure through which they 
perform a writing task by using specific 
strategies for various writing actions in 
different writing contexts. Secondly, the study 
investigates the gender differences in using 
SRS to perform the writing tasks basing on 
the differences in selecting SRS by male and 
female students. To clarify the purposes of the 
current study, two research questions are 
presented as follows: 
1. To what extent do learners employ 
self-regulated strategies (SRS) in writing 
process? 
2. Are there any gender differences in 
using self-regulated strategies (SRS) in 
writing process? 
2. Literature review 
Zimmerman’s model 
When scholars around the world discuss 
strategies employed by the students in the 
writing process, the model of SRL will be 
mentioned. Among various models of SRS, 
Zimmerman’s model is paid attention in the 
current study. Figure 1 describes 
Zimmerman’s model of SRL where SRS are 
employed in learning processes. The initiative 
of the cyclical loop in the model is 
forethought phase which contains two main 
strategy-actions including task analysis and 
self-motivational beliefs (Zimmerman, 2008). 
When learners approach to a specific task, 
they analyze the requirements of the task and 
evaluate the task value to motivate themselves 
in task performance (Panadero and Alonso-
Tapia, 2014, p.453). The cyclical loop of S ... g for relevant materials than the male 
students. Possibly, the sources of materials 
were various and the male and female 
students differently used the materials, which 
were reliable and valid, to build up the 
supporting ideas for their writing. The study 
acknowledged that the female first-year 
students were better in use of seeking 
information strategies than the male first-year 
students. 
As shown in table 7, the data for the 
gender difference in using organizing and 
transforming strategies reveal that the U score 
of this option (U=535.00), the Z score of this 
option (Z=-2.32), and the p-value of this 
option (p=.020) accepted the H1. On the other 
words, the study assumed that there was 
gender difference in using organizing and 
transforming strategies since the p-value of 
this option was moderately smaller than .05. 
Table 7 exposes that the MR (male students) 
= 37.25 while the MR (female students) = 
49.67. It could be seen that the MR of the 
male students was moderately smaller than the 
MR of the female students. The statistics 
104 The employment of self-regulated strategies in writing process by english... 
revealed that the female students frequently 
carried out the strategy-action of making 
outline before writing than the male students. 
Apparently, the outline is considered as the 
spine of their writing which organizes and 
connects all of the ideas in their writing into 
the system. However, the finding posed the 
supposition that some of the male learners 
might ignore the stage of forming the outline 
before writing. It made the study conclude 
that the use of organizing and transforming 
strategies was more significant towards the 
female first-year students than the male first-
year students. 
The results of the present study were 
different from those in the prior studies. The 
prior studies gave out no differences for the 
use of self-efficacy strategy, organizing and 
transforming strategies, and seeking 
information strategies between the male and 
female students. Also, the present study found 
no gender difference in using goal setting and 
planning strategies but in the previous study 
by Pajares and Valiante (2001), the gender 
difference in goal orientation strategies was 
significant for the male students. With the 
similar objectives to figure out the gender 
differences in using SRS in learners’ writing 
processes, the prior study by Pajares, Britner, 
and Valiante (2000) found the gender 
difference in goal orientation strategies, 
particularly performance-approach, which was 
towards the female students. Zimmerman and 
Martinez-Pons (1990) also found the gender 
differences in using goal setting and planning 
strategies and the female students revealed the 
significant use of the strategies. 
Generally, the study assumed that the 
first-year male and female students differently 
used three kinds of SRS including self-
efficacy strategy to quickly write the first 
opening sentence, organizing and 
transforming strategies, and seeking 
information strategies before writing. 
4.2.2. Performance phase 
Table 8 presents the differences for the 
use of SRS in performance phase by the male 
and female participants. 
Table 8. Gender differences in using SRS in performance phase 
 Gender N MR U Z p-value 
Take notes of useful words and 
frequent-used grammatical 
structures 
Male 20 37.28 
535.50 -2.12 .034 
Female 73 49.66 
Refocus on writing when thinking 
about other things 
Male 20 38.15 
553.00 -2.11 .035 
Female 73 49.42 
In performance phase, the study measured 
the gender difference in using keeping record 
and monitoring strategies. As can be seen 
from table 8, the U score of this option 
(U=535.50), the Z score of this option (Z=-
2.12), and the p-value of this option (p=.034) 
made the study accept the H1. As being 
shown, the gender difference in using keeping 
record and monitoring strategies was found in 
this study since the p-value of this option was 
slightly smaller than .05. Table 8 also shows 
that the MR (male students) = 37.28 while the 
MR (female students) = 49.66. As could be 
seen, the MR of the male students were 
significantly smaller than the MR of the 
female students. The data implied that the 
female students frequently took notes of the 
useful vocabulary and grammar structures 
than the male students. From the points, the 
study confirmed that the female first-year 
students could use keeping record and 
monitoring strategies better than the male 
 Journal of Science Ho Chi Minh City Open University – No. 4 (16) 2015 – December/2015 105 
first-year students. The similar finding about 
gender difference in using keeping record and 
monitoring strategies which was more 
significant for females was also found in the 
prior study by Zimmerman and Martinez-Pons 
(1990). The finding of this prior study 
(p=.010) was more significant than the current 
study (p=.034). 
Regarding the gender difference in using 
self-efficacy strategy to refocus on task 
performance, the data from Table 8 expose 
that the U score of this option (U=553.00), the 
Z score of this option (Z=-2.11), and the p-
value of this option (p=.035) also accepted the 
H1. The data showed that the use of this kind 
of SRS by the male students was different 
from that by the female students since the p-
value of this strategy was moderately smaller 
than .05. From the data of Table 8, the 
statistics showed that the MR (male students) 
= 38.15 whereas the MR (female students) = 
49.42. As being shown, the MR of the male 
students was moderately smaller than the MR 
of the female students. The data exposed that 
the female students were able to reconcentrate 
on their task implementation faster than the 
male students. The fact was that the female 
students tended to stay away from the 
distractions and disturbances and they 
frequently prepared a quiet writing 
environment when they carried out their 
writing assignments. In case they were 
distracted from the task implementation, they 
were able to refocus on their writing 
immediately. The study deduced that the 
female first-year students were able to use 
self-efficacy strategy to refocus on writing 
when they were distracted to other things 
better than the male first-year students. 
In sum, the study concluded that the first-
year male and female students differently used 
two kinds of SRS including keeping record 
and monitoring strategies for note taking of 
useful information and self-efficacy strategy 
to regulate their behaviors during writing. 
To respond to the second research 
question, the study concluded that the male 
and female first-year learners differently used 
five SRS in forethought phase and 
performance phase. None of the gender 
difference was found in self-reflection phase. 
5. Implications and conclusion 
From the results of this study, it is 
implied that self-regulated strategies (SRS) 
are beneficial and satisfactory for successful 
learning, particularly in writing. Using the 
strategies can enhance learners’ learning 
proficiency and evoke the capacity of 
independent learning (Field, Duffy, and 
Huggins, 2014, p.2). Learners can alter SRS 
to systemize and organize their learning in an 
effective way so that they have a feeling of 
being motivated, consider learning as their 
own responsibility, and feel comfortable to 
cooperate with others for their own sake in 
learning (Zimmerman, 1986, p.308; cited in 
Field, Duffy, and Huggins, 2014, p.2). They 
become autonomous in their own learning 
when they control their learning with a proper 
schedule, arrange time for learning 
scientifically, and understand their learning 
competence towards the tasks deliberately. 
They are provided with opportunities to 
accumulate learning experiences through 
motivation and curiosity, self-confidence, and 
self-reliance basing on their comprehension 
and ability. 
 The knowledge in human’ mind can be 
forgotten and the perception of SRS is not the 
exception. Hence, this study is a reminder 
about the manipulation of SRS which 
principally aims to evoke its contents in 
learners’ minds so that they can continue to 
make use of the usefulness of the strategies in 
their own learning, particularly in writing 
performance. Additionally, the unfamiliar SRS 
are approached to them so that they can exploit 
the use of these strategies in the further tasks. 
106 The employment of self-regulated strategies in writing process by english... 
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