The Relationship Between Metacognitive Reading Strategy Awareness and Critical Reading Self-efficacy in Gifted Middle School Students

This study examined the relationship between metacognitive reading strategy awareness and critical reading self-efficacy among gifted middle school students and investigated the unique contributions of different dimensions of metacognitive reading strategies to critical reading self-efficacy. Examining this relationship in gifted learners is important for understanding how high cognitive potential relates to strategic reading awareness and to students' beliefs about their capability to perform critical reading tasks. The study was conducted with 218 gifted sixth- and seventh-grade students attending Science and Art Centers in Istanbul, Türkiye. Using a correlational survey design, data were collected through the Critical Reading Self-Efficacy Scale and the Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategies Inventory and analyzed using Pearson correlation, multiple linear regression, and independent-samples t tests. The Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategies Inventory total score showed a small, positive, but nonsignificant correlation with critical reading self-efficacy (r = .127, p = .060). The regression model was statistically significant yet explained only 4.0% of the variance, F(3214) = 2.953, p = .034. Among the dimensions, only global reading strategies made a statistically significant unique contribution to critical reading self-efficacy (β = 0.194, p = .004), whereas problem-solving and support strategies did not make significant unique contributions. Neither variable differed significantly by gender or grade level. The findings suggest that, among gifted students, critical reading self-efficacy is linked less to overall metacognitive awareness than to planning-and evaluation-oriented global strategies. This dimension-specific pattern underscores the value of dimension-based, planning- and evaluation-focused approaches in reading instruction for gifted learners and indicates that self-efficacy warrants study alongside further cognitive, motivational, and affective variables Cite this article as: İşlekeller Bozca, A., & Özcan, S. (2026). The relationship between metacognitive reading strategy awareness and critical reading self-efficacy in gifted middle school students. HAYEF: Journal of Education, 23, 0083, doi: 10.5152/hayef.2026.26083.