Exploring Metacognitive Reading Strategies and their Effects on Academic Learning: Case Studies of ESL Students in Higher Education in the US.

Abstract

This qualitative study examined the use of metacognitive reading strategies of four doctoral ESL Thai students who were at the time conducting research whilst studying in the US. The main purpose seeks to describe the ways in which these ESL students created meanings when they were reading for academic or informative purposes. This investigation addressed two main research questions: (1) How are ESL students in the US college able to manage their reading strategies effectively? and (2) What are the students’ perceptions of the metacognitive strategies they have employed in the study of their course materials? To answer the research questions, the analysis ranged across the data collection methods, including the interview transcriptions, observations, and think-aloud protocols, providing information in three areas: (a) the reading strategies of the participants before they came to the US: (b) the reading US; and (c) their emergent metacognitive reading strategies.