The purpose of this research study was to explore what effect instruction in metacognitive strategy (MS) use had on student achievement in a hybrid developmental English course at a community college. The study examined whether the addition of teacher-led or peer-led instruction in MS use would result in improved writing ability for the student participants, 62 community college students enrolled in four sections of ENGL 0307--Preparation for College English. The participants were divided into two groups and received instruction in MS use; two sections received teacher-led instruction, while the other two sections discussed the strategies in peer groups. They received weekly, writing-specific MS lessons for eight weeks over such concepts as prewriting and drafting, organizing their essays, editing and revising, and peer reviewing. Qualitative data were collected through structured interviews and focus groups. Quantitative data were collected using pretest and posttest scores on diagnostic essays, pretest and posttest scores on the Inventory of Processes in College Composition (IPIC), and students' end-of-course grades. This information was collected to aid in predicting and describing the relationship among students' writing abilities, their motives for writing, and their academic achievement. Analyses of covariance were performed on the posttest essay scores and on the IPIC scores. The results of this 10-week study demonstrated that there were no statistically significant differences in the essay scores, the IPIC scores, or the end-of-course grades between the two treatment groups. Both groups regulated their use of MS by completing online evaluations and by writing short, online journal entries. While there was no correlation between students' completion of evaluations and their end-of-course grades, there was a medium-sized correlation between journal completion and grades. Students in both treatment groups reported similar experiences with learning and using MS. However, the peer-led group, overall, seemed to have less-positive reactions to their instructional method. Participants enjoyed some aspects of cooperative learning, namely peer reviewing, but they did not prefer to discuss the MS in peer groups. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]