Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategies Reported by Emirati Learners Enrolled in Post-Secondary Education in the United Arab Emirates

Abstract

Skilled readers are often characterised as more metacognitively aware than less skilled readers. This thesis reports on findings from a study that explored metacognitive awareness of reading strategy usage of Emirati learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) enrolled in post-secondary educational institutions in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The research had two key goals: first, to identify participants’ metacognitive awareness of the reading strategies they use when reading academic texts in English and, second, to establish whether there were any identified differences between male and female participants. Together, these goals allow the study to contribute to the development of effective L2 English language development in the UAE. Located within the pragmatic research paradigm, the study involved a mixed methodology and an explanatory sequential design. It consisted of two phases: the first, quantitative phase surveyed 386 students’ metacognitive awareness using the Survey of Reading Strategies (SORS; Mokhtari & Sheorey, 2002) consisting of a 28-item questionnaire. The next, qualitative phase involved a total of 40 participants, who were required to read a selected passage and reflect on their reading and thinking process using a think aloud protocol.