The Effect of Metacognitive Reading Strategy Instruction on Postgraduate Students’ Reading Comprehension and its Relationship to their Characteristics

HRMARS - This research investigates the impact of metacognitive reading strategy instruction and its correlation with postgraduate students’ individual characteristics when engaging with English academic texts. Sixteen postgraduate L2 students (nine females and seven males) participated in the study, completing a background questionnaire and standardized reading strategy assessments to track their progress. Results indicated statistically significant improvements in participants' reading comprehension scores following the instructional period. While no significant relationship was found between comprehension gains and variables such as age, nationality, or length of English language exposure, a moderate negative correlation was observed between performance and the students' level of previous education. These findings are discussed in terms of metacognitive strategy acquisition and pedagogical implications for higher education, specifically focusing on how academic background may influence strategy development.