Reflection, Metacognition, and Self-Assessment as Strategies to Improve the Academic Performance and Transform Beliefs in English Language Learners

Resumen

In contexts of the technological era, Education 4.0 has been shaped into active, reflective, and authentic models. Learners are now required to master skills and competences that not only help them adapt and thrive in more demanding academic contexts, but also prepare them for professional and personal ones. In the same vein, Reflective learning, integrated with metacognitive strategies and self-assessment constructs have been studied even more since its effectiveness and success in the educational setting. This article has addressed two research questions: a) To what extent do Metacognition and Self-assessment influence the improvement of students’ English performance? and b) To what extent does Reflective learning transforms students’ prior beliefs and conceptions about English learning, as well as the role that the students themselves play in this process? For this purpose, a mixed-method design was applied, with qualitative and quantitative instruments such as pre and posttests based on rubrics, and pre-post surveys. Findings have evidenced a statistically significant improvement in students’ language performance (MD=-2.14), and how the incorporation of those strategies has presented a potential effect on these improvements (Cohen’s D=1.67; p<0.001, highly significant). In addition, learners’ beliefs and conceptions toward learning have been transformed positively into a more active and student-centered model orientation. Therefore, studies with control groups on the same topic are recommended to be considered to contribute to this field of study with more in-depth investigations. Finally, this study has implications for a higher-level education context, with a focus on its effects on teaching English.