Technologies for Learning Writing in L1 and L2 for the 21st Century: effects on writing metacognition, self-efficacy and argumentative structuring

Abstract

Quality in higher education assumes the challenge of developing in all citizens of the 21st century the cognitive, motivational, and socio-cultural dimensions that provide them with communication competences including the use of infor-mation and communication technologies, for the dissemination of sustainable scientific knowledge in different languages. Hence this paper evaluates a di-dactic-technological process called “Ensayo Científico Multilingüe” or ECM (“Multilingual Scientific Essay”), which guides the construction of argumenta-tive texts in a shared didactic space in the native language (L1) and in the first foreign language (L2). It can be stated that the ECM creates a shared didactic-technological space in different languages, producing similar effects in L1 and L2, both on writing metacognition and on self-efficacy and argumentative structuring. The ECM en-hances the association of writing metacognition with argumentative self-efficacy in L1 and L2. However, these dimensions are not associated with the structur-ing of argumentative essays, either in L1 or in L2. Furthermore, it is verified that the described variables are associated with the didactic-technological proce-dures integrated in the ECM in the following ways: (i) the procedure to pro-mote writing metacognition (through the Lesson tool) is associated with argu-mentative structuring in L2; (ii) the extent of writing activities is associated, only, with argumentative self-efficacy in L1; and (iii) participation in the Forums presents a very low association with all the variables measured.