A Study Of Writing Strategies That Improving College Students’ English Writing Competence

Writing is a significant part in college English teaching, which is a kind of productive language skill. It reveals learners’mastery of a language. Writing exercises could facilitate learners’English learning and enhance their English competence as well as the communication ability. However, there are many problems existed in college English teaching of writing in China. One reason is the learning of writing is test-oriented. Therefore, the study of the use of writing strategies could help teachers to conduct some strategies training in the process of writing teaching. At the same time, English language learners could also have a better understanding of writing strategies as well as the ones they need to master and use.In this study, the author does an empirical research investigating college students’ writing strategies use and their writing competence. The study instrument is the questionnaire about college students" English writing strategies, which was made by referring to the language learning strategy scale (SILL)(Oxford,1990). After that, the author analyzes the data collected by SPSS17.0. Four questions would be answered:1) the use of college students’English writing strategies;2) the competence of college students’ English writing;3) the difference in using writing strategies between males and females;4) the relationship between college students’use of English writing strategies and their writing competence.The study involves six writing strategies, namely, memory strategies, cognitive strategies, compensation strategies, metacognitive strategies, affective strategies and social strategies. The study shows that the frequently used writing strategies among college students are thinking with the mother tongue when writing an English composition, using the simple sentences to express ideas, using indirect language to express ideas and learning culture of western countries by movies, books or lectures. Compensation strategies are frequently used among college students. Most students’writing competence is poor, and the overall competence of writing is unsatisfactory. Female students use writing strategies more frequently and more widely than male students. Female students are significantly better than male students in using memory strategies, cognitive strategies, compensation strategies and social strategies, and slightly better than male students in using metacognitive strategies. However, male students are slightly better than female students in using affective strategies. Metacognitive strategies, social strategies, memory strategies, cognitive strategies and compensation strategies are significantly positively correlated with college students’ English writing competence. Affective strategies are also positively correlated with students’ English writing competence, but did not reach the statistical significance. Metacognitive strategies can help college students improve their English writing competence. Social strategies and memory strategies can explain the variation of college students’ English writing competence to a certain extent. However, affective strategies have negative predictive power to students’ English writing competence.In short words, the results of the study indicate that college students do use writing strategies in their learning of English writing. The employ of writing strategies does influenced by gender. In addition, it is related to writing competence. In brief, in order to follow the step of college English reform, college students and college English teachers do need to know the importance and the use of English writing strategies.