China
RAE de Hong Kong (China)
Some previous researchers attempted to bridge the gap between two bodies of research: the role of metacognitive knowledge in second language (L2) writing and L2 collaborative writing (CW). Although recent studies unveiled the positive impacts of learners’ metacognitive knowledge on L2 collaborative writing, there is not yet consensus regarding the categorization of the three components of metacognitive knowledge (namely, Flavell’s classification of person, task, and strategy knowledge versus Jacobs and Paris’s categorization of declarative knowledge, procedural knowledge, and conditional knowledge). This paper endorses Flavell’s classification because the three constructs proposed by him are classical, specific, easy to define and measure, and well received by most researchers. In addition, the paper critically examines the existing literature, identifies a few problems, and proposes the integration of metacognition theory to L2 collaborative writing. Furthermore, the article conceptualizes such integration utilizing both Flavell’s and Jacobs and Paris’s frameworks, which share some overlaps. Pedagogical implications suggest that through the application of diverse tactics and tools, educators can elevate learners’ metacognitive skills and foster their comprehensive growth in L2 collaborative writing (CW) across three key phases: pre-CW, during-CW, and post-CW. The paper calls for future research to develop new surveys to measure metacognitve knowledge and strategies in L2 CW, new rubrics to assess CW products, new frameworks for data analysis, and new qualitative instruments to examine the role and impacts of students’ metacognitive knowledge and metacognitive strategies in CW.