The Effects of Metacognitive Reading Strategy Instruction on Thai EFL Engineering Students: Metacognitive Strategy Use and Students’ Attitudes

Abstract

Metacognition is pivotal in reading comprehension. Therefore, Metacognitive Reading Strategy Instruction (MRSI) is crucial for improving reading comprehension, particularly in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) contexts. The study explores the role of MRSI in enhancing reading comprehension, specifically for 145 engineering students, who were divided into the experimental group (n=82) and control group (n=63). The experimental group was instructed in metacognitive reading strategies, whereas the control group was taught textbook-based instruction. Over 13 weeks, two groups of Thai engineering students were given pre and post-tests on reading comprehension and an attitude questionnaire. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were conducted to analyze the data. The analysis revealed that the experimental group that received MRSI outperformed the control group on the reading comprehension test. The findings showed that the experimental and control groups improved their post-test scores compared to pre-test scores. The experimental group increased from a mean score of 35.30% to 50.04%, while the control group improved from 35.58% to 43.28%. The participants also expressed positive attitudes towards planning (84.32%), monitoring (90.24%), and evaluating (82.95%) strategies, showing a strong emphasis on metacognitive engagement in enhancing reading comprehension. In addition, the data from an attitude questionnaire reflected a positive impact of MRSI on students’ attitudes, with high agreement on the effectiveness of planning, monitoring, and evaluating strategies. The study concludes that integrating MRSI into ESP classes can effectively enhance reading comprehension and provide pedagogical recommendations for its implementation.