A Study on College Students’ Use of Metacognitive Strategies in English E-Reading

Abstract

In the realm of second language acquisition, the development of reading skills stands as a crucial aspect for language learners. College students engaging in English courses, as foreign language learners, can enhance their text comprehension through the employment of diverse reading strategies, with particular emphasis placed on metacognitive strategies. Moreover, in today’s technologically-driven landscape, e-reading has firmly entrenched itself as an indispensable component of youth culture. However, a potential disparity may exist between traditional paper-based reading and electronic reading, thus necessitating distinct metacognitive strategies for different media. Against this backdrop, this thesis endeavors to explore the overall utilization of metacognitive strategies among college students, investigate the correlation between strategy implementation and reading proficiency, and examine the determinants influencing participants’ strategy adoption. The findings derived from this study aim to inform the refinement of English reading pedagogies in higher education settings and advocate for the integration of metacognitive strategies into e-reading practices among future English learners. Methodologically, this study employed various instruments including reading assessments, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality test, and structured questionnaires. Specifically, participants’ reading proficiency was assessed via standardized reading tests, their personality types were determined through the MBTI assessment, and their utilization of metacognitive e-reading strategies was gauged through questionnaire responses. Subsequently, a comprehensive analysis was conducted to elucidate the overall level of strategy employment, the relationship between strategy utilization and reading performance, and the influential factors shaping participants’ strategic behaviors. The findings of the study revealed that Chinese college students exhibited a moderate level of metacognitive strategy utilization in online English reading, with evaluation strategies demonstrating a positive correlation with reading proficiency among the four sub-strategies examined. Regarding influencing factors, gender was found to have no significant bearing on the level of strategy employment, while participants’ MBTI personality type revealed distinctions; specifically, individuals classified as J-types demonstrated a greater propensity for employing planning strategies compared to their P-type counterparts in the Perceiving-Judging dimension.