The Impact of Metacognitive Instruction on ESL University Level Students' Awareness and Use of the Reading Strategies

Previous studies related to metacognition and reading have extensively investigated metacognitive awareness of reading/reading strategies of students at a particular point in time and/or relation between metacognitive awareness and reading ability. However, research illustrating the changes in students' awareness and use of the reading strategies over a period of time is strikingly absent from the literature. The present study was designed to explore qualitatively the impact of the metacognitive reading strategy instruction on students' awareness and use of the reading strategies introduced over a period of time in university level ESL classrooms in Pakistan. It also offers a view of the students' experience of such instruction. The study comprised of two action research cycles spanned over 4 months each. Eight undergraduate university students were selected as the participants of the study. Data collection instrument included interviews, think aloud protocols, learner diaries, end of class feedback, note-taking, researcher journal, and Survey of Reading Strategies (SORS) questionnaire. The findings revealed that metacognitive reading strategy instruction not only raised metacognitive awareness of the introduced reading strategies in students in a "real" classroom setting but also made them use the knowledge they gained during the study. Implications of the study are discussed.