Impacts of meta cognitive reading strategies on English language students’ reading comprehension

This study investigated the effect of metacognitive reading strategies on students’ reading comprehension performance in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context at Gambella University. The research focused on one section of English Language and Literature students enrolled in the Reading Skills II course. A total of 36 participants were selected through a random sampling technique and assigned to either an experimental group (n = 18) or a control group (n = 18). The experimental group received explicit instruction in metacognitive reading strategies using the Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach (CALLA), while the control group was taught through conventional reading instruction methods. A pre-test was administered to determine learners’ initial reading comprehension levels, followed by three subsequent tests designed to measure progress. Data were analyzed using MANOVA. The results revealed that the experimental group significantly outperformed the control group across all assessments. Strong positive correlations were found among the three tests (r = 0.767 between Test 1 and Test 2; r = 0.777 between Test 1 and Test 3; and r = 0.780 between Test 2 and Test 3), suggesting that the tests measured related constructs and that improved performance on one assessment predicted success on others. Additionally, the statistically significant Wilks’ Lambda value and the large effect sizes indicated that the metacognitive strategy training had a substantial impact on students’ reading comprehension. Overall, the findings demonstrate that metacognitive reading strategies enhance learners’ comprehension and strategic awareness. It is therefore recommended that EFL reading instruction incorporate metacognitive strategy training to promote more effective and autonomous learning.