Effects of Cognitive Reading Strategy Training on Grade 9 Students‟ Reading Performance, Metacognitive Awareness and Reading Motivation
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Date
2024-12
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
This study investigated the effects of cognitive reading strategy training on reading performance, metacognitive reading strategy awareness and reading motivation of Grade 9 students. The study aimed at testing explicit/implicit theories of cognitive reading strategy instruction. A quasi-experimental design was used to examine differences between two randomly selected intact groups. A quantitative approach was applied to gather data. Among the variables, strategy awareness and reading motivation were examined to see if they were predictors of reading performance. A teacher-made pre-test (25 items) and a parallel teacher-made post-test (25 items) and two questionnaires were administered. The Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategy Inventory (MARSI) of the strategy awareness questionnaire consisted of 30 items; the Foreign Language Reading Attitudes and Motivation Scale (FLRAMS) of reading motivation questionnaire consisted of 31 items. Data were gathered from 100 students through the tests and the questionnaires. The results showed statistically significant difference between each group’s pre-test and post-test scores of reading performance (p=.000) and (p=.000) of experimental and control groups, respectively; there was a strong and positive relationship between the pre-and post-test scores of each group. Although the p-value for both groups was less than .001, the experimental group made increment of reading performance after the explicit strategy training; whereas, the control group made the opposite, decrement of reading performance after the implicit strategy training. Both groups did not show significant changes of strategy awareness. However, the experimental group showed a significant change of reading motivation (p= .006) after the group received strategy training, unlike that of the control group (p= .606). The study concluded that training cognitive reading strategy explicitly empowered students to outperform reading comprehension and vice versa and increased students’ motivation of reading though it could not change students’ strategy awareness; however, students’ strategy awareness and their reading motivation could not be significant predictors of reading performance. This findings imply that due attention should be given to enhance explicit approach of cognitive reading strategy teaching over implicit approach so as to improve students’ performance of reading.