Keeping my brain on reading: assessing metacognitive reading strategy awareness of ESL learners

Abstract

The current burden of university students nowadays is to read a large volume of academic texts in English. However, many of them are under prepared for the reading demands placed on them (Dreyer & Nel, 2003). For students whose exposure to English is quite limited, reading becomes one of the most crucial problems during learning. Majority of them show inability to read selectively, they often present low level of reading strategy knowledge and lack the strategies needed to successfully comprehend expository texts (Dreyer, 1998; Van Wyk, 2001) As a result, they might dwell in their inappropriate reading habits without knowing how to read effectively. Research shows that there is a positive relationship between students‟ meta-cognitive awareness of reading processes and their ability to read and excel academically (Alderson 1984; Carrell 1991; Chan 2003; Mokhtari & Sheorey 2002; Singhal 2001).This study examined the level of meta-cognitive reading awareness of ESL learners in a public university and investigated the type of strategy used by them while reading. Apparently, this study bears crucial pedagogical implications in the teaching of reading for ESL learners.