EFL students' views regarding the use of metacognitive reading strategies

The key factor in achieving success in a foreign language is the comprehension. When readers struggle with comprehension, to overcome this challenge, they employ various strategies. The aim of this study is to determine the views of EFL learners' on metacognitive reading strategies. It examines the views of EFL students regarding their use of metacognitive reading strategies when reading academic texts. The study adopts a descriptive design due to its purpose of fully defining the existing situation about the metacognitive reading strategies among students. The participants of the study consist of preparatory class students studying at Inonu University School of Foreign Languages. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods were employed to determine students' levels of awareness regarding the subject within the scope of the research. Data were collected through Mokhtari and Sheorey's Survey of Reading Strategies (2002) and semi-structured interviews. The study demonstrated the significance of metacognitive techniques for raising academic achievement and reading comprehension. The detailed analysis showed that participants strongly prefer certain strategies like paying extra attention when the text is hard, translating into their native language, and re-reading for better understanding. The qualitative data from the study indicates a strong reliance on support strategies, particularly the use of reference materials and translation tools, indicating a need for external aids in comprehension.