Volume 7-5 October 2011.

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Title
On the Explicit Instruction of Cognitive and Metacognitive Reading Strategies in Reading Performance and Self-Efficacy

Authors
Reza Aghaie (Ph.D.)
University of Malaya, Malaysia
Stefanie Pillaie (Ph.D.)  
University of Malaya, Malaysia

 Bio Data
Reza AghaiePh.D. in Applied Linguistics from the University of Malaya, Malaysia.  His interests lie mainly in metacognition in L1 and foreign language reading, strategy-based reading instruction, and transfer of strategies across languages.

Stefanie Pillai Ph.D. an associate professor at the University of Malaya, Malaysia.  She has published widely on topics related to language and phonetics and phonology in different journals. She serves on the editorial boards of Asian EFL Quarterly. Her interests are in language learning strategies and phonetics and phonology.

Abstract
This study explored the impact of explicit teaching of these strategies on reading performance and self-efficacy.  The study employed a questionnaire adapted from Chamot and O’Malley’s (1994) cognitive and metacognitive strategies. To test the impact of explicit teaching of cognitive and metacognitive reading strategies on reading performance and self-efficacy, the study examined a control group and an experimental group. The experimental group achieved significantly better results than the control group. Results of paired-sample t-tests and independent t-tests and effect size showed that reading comprehension, strategy and self-efficacy can be improved with strategy instruction; that within certain contexts, strategy instruction contributes to independent reading behaviours. Additional analysis showed that the experimental group developed a positive attitude after strategy instruction and was able to transfer the strategies to other languages and reading materials.