Students’ Metacognitive Reading Strategy Use and Its Relationship with Their Reading Comprehension: A Study Of Ediget-Chora Secondary School
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Date
2025-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The study aimed to investigate student’s use of metacognitive reading strategies and the relationship between these strategies with the their reading performances. To achieve this, a mixed-methods design was employed, combining quantitative and qualitative methods. For the quantitative data, a reading test, the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), and the Metacognitive Reading Strategies Inventory (MARSI) were utilized. For qualitative insights, the semi-structured interviews were conducted. The participants were 150 ninth-graders, comprising 68 males and 82 females. The quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS version 24, while thematic analysis was used for the qualitative interviews. Findings indicated that students generally employed metacognitive reading strategies at a moderate level. Moreover, a significant relationship was found between the use of these strategies and the reading proficiency of ninth graders, reflecting a moderate correlation. The t-test analysis revealed no significant differences in the overall use of strategies between male and female students as a group. Qualitative results supported the quantitative findings, indicating that higher achievers were more aware of metacognitive reading strategies than their lower- and medium-achieving peers. Through semi-structured interviews, it became evident that students encountered challenges when trying to effectively use these strategies during reading academic texts. In conclusion, the students’ limited reading proficiency can be associated with their insufficient awareness of metacognitive strategies and difficulties in pinpointing and using them in appropriate contexts. The study recommends that enhanced explicit instruction, updating the curriculum, and revising students’ textbooks to incorporate various reading strategies can assist students in understanding and effectively using these strategies, thereby enhancing their reading performance. Furthermore, future investigations should explore other factors that might hinder students' ability to successfully utilize these strategies in their academic reading.