Effects of Metacognitive Strategy Instruction on EST Reading Comprehension

Abstract

With the burgeoning attention committed to research on the various branches of English for Specific Purposes (ESP), English for Science and Technology (EST) courses have become popular for engineering students in universities all over Taiwan. This empirical study aims to examine the effects of metacognitive strategy instruction on EST reading comprehension. Based upon the results of a reading proficiency test, the experimental group received reading instruction with metacognitive strategy training, while the control group received standard reading instruction without any intervention. The results indicated that metacognitive strategy instruction was significantly more effective in facilitating learners' EST reading comprehension than standard reading instruction. Subsequent open-ended questionnaire administered to the experimental group showed positive perceptions of the training effectiveness. The responses revealed divergent perspectives with respect to the three metacognitive strategies. Finally, the pedagogical implications of the results and suggestions for further research will be provided.