1.1 Background information 1

1.2 Metacogntion and ESP writing 1

1.2.1 Definitions of metacognition 1

1.2.2 Relationship between academic writing and metacognition 1

1.2.3 Importance of metacognition in ESP writing 2

1.3 Genre-based approach and ESP writing 2

1.3.1 Definitions of genre-based approach 2

1.3.2 The current situation of genre-based approach in undergraduate level 2

1.3.3 Genre awareness 3

1.4 Relationship between genre-based approach and metacognition 3

1.5 Former researches about the link between metacognition and genre-based approach 3

2. Methodology 4

2.1 Research questions 4

2.2 Participants 4

2.3 Fundamental instrument for research design. 4

2.4 Procedures 5

2.5 Material 5

2.6 Data analysis 6

3.Results and Discussion 8

3.1 Results and discussion of research question 1 8

3.2Results and discussion of research question 2 11

3.2 Results and discussion of research question 3 14

4.Conclusion 17

References 18

1. Literature Review

1.1 Background information

With the globalization of the world, ESP writing is needed everywhere and almost every day. The ESP writing courses for English majors in undergraduate level becomes a necessary. Thus, researchers at home and abroad studied a lot about the factors influencing L2 learners’ writing ability.However, with so many studies concerning ESP writing being done, they paid more attention to “products rather than process” (Belcher,2004). In fact, many researchers had already statedthat a good L2 writer should build a clear metacognition of the basic essence of writing activity and strategies employed to fufill writing tasks. According to Belcher (2004), a qualified writing instructor should own “sense of genre theory, corpus tools, scaffolding technique and metacognitive and metadiscoursal awareness building strategies.” (p.11).The lack of findings in the area of building metacognitive awareness and genre analysis ability leads me to think about how they are linked together in specific aspects to foster students’ writing ability. 

1.2 Metacogntion and ESP writing

1.2.1 Definitions of metacognition

Flavell (1979) had ever defined metacognition as the ability to review one’s own knowledge and monitor one’s thinking. So, metacognition implies learners’ thinking model to connect relevant concepts together and their strategy-making ability. 

According to Azevedo and Whiterspoon (2009)，matacognition plays an important role in influecing L2 learners’ performance in different learning contexts. The importance of metacognition in learning process has been revealed undoubtedly, but how does it make effect in a genre-based activity like academic writing still need to be discussed.