




































 

EDUCATIO : Journal Of Education 
Volume 2, Number 2, November 2017 

 ISSN : 2579-8383 (Print) ISSN : 2579-8405 (Online)  

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The Relevance And Implications Of Metacognitive Strategy To Reading 

Comprehension In EFL Classroom 

 
Eka Rizki Amalia 

The Institute of Pesantren KH. Abdul Chalim (IKHAC), Mojokerto 

ekarizkiamalia@ikhac.ac.id 

 

Accepted: 

August 10, 2017 

Reviewed: 

September 5, 2017 

Published: 

November 20, 2017 

 

Abstract: Metacognitive strategy plays a significant role in solving students‟ problem in learning 
English as a foreign language by being applied to some teaching and learning activities. Its 
strength is on realizing and optimizing students‟ awareness upon their own learning. By 
perceiving their own knowledge, students have control of what they have in mind and can 
regulate it to achieve certain purposes. This is how they can maximize their learning. In reading 
skill, students are always demanded to understand the texts they are reading. Thus, applying 
metacognitive strategy to reading activity will foster the students‟ comprehension respectively. 
This literature review discusses the relevance and implications of metacognitive strategy to 
reading comprehension in EFL classroom. 

 

Keywords:  Metacognitive Strategy, Reading Comprehension 

 

 

INTRODUCTION 

Reading is a receptive skill which plays a very significant role in students‟ learning 

process. Since the very beginning of learning process, students are demanded to have the ability 

to read written material. This is aimed at gaining information and needed the knowledge to 

support their learning proces1s. Pardede (2013)2 asserted that for EFL students, reading is the 

most crucial skill to master because of several reasons. First, students mostly can perform 

reading skill better than other skills such as listening, speaking and writing. They can quite 

understand written material which they cannot discuss orally or write it with equivalent accuracy. 

Second, reading only needs minimum requirements3. Different from speaking skill which 

sometimes needs partner or writing skill which needs a lot of guidance and time to practice, all 

what is needed to perform reading skill is only a text and motivation to read. The third is, reading 

is a service skill. Once the students learn how to read effectively, it will help them to learn 

                                                 
1 Devit Etika Sari and Muh Barid Nizarudin Wajdi, “The Effectiveness Of The Method of GI With 

Electronic Workbench Study To Improve Activities and Results Student,” Educatio : Journal of  Education 2, no. 1 

(2017): 136–150, http://www.ejournal.staimnglawak.ac. id/index.php/educatio/article/view/22.  
2 Parlindungan Pardede, “A Review on Reading Theories  and Its Implication to the Teaching of Reading,” 

UKI ELT and Edu, (2013).  
3 Muh. Barid Nizarudin Wajdi, “ المناهج التعليمية للغة العربية في تطوير المفردات لغير الناطقين بها ,” At-Tajdid: Jurnal Ilmu  

Tarbiyah; Vol 5 No 1 (2016): January 2016 (2016), 

http://ejournal.stitmuhpacitan.ac.id/index.php/tajdid/article/view/15.  



  

 
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effectively by reading4. 

According to Floris and Divina (2009),5 another important role of reading for EFL 

students is that it facilitates the improvement of English abilities and knowledge. Many studies 

have shown that EFL students who read English text more seem to acquire English much better 

than those who do not (Floris and Divina, 20096; Hunt and Beglar, 20057). Nation (1997)8 stated 

that without being exposed much to reading materials in class, EFL students are not probable to 

make much progress. When these students read English textless, they are not well accustomed to 

English then they get difficulty in understanding English text once they have it9. 

Even though students have already exposed to English text quite often, there is still a 

problem whether they understand the text they are reading or not. Most students have to read a 

certain text more than once to understand it. It will not be a problem if the purpose of reading is 

only to get specific information explicitly stated in the text. But this will be a problem if their 

purpose of reading is to get the main idea of the text, since it needs full understanding or 

commonly known as comprehension. Unfortunately, many students are unable to comprehend 

texts, even though they can decode or find the meaning of the texts fluently .10 Most often the 

students are just doing the activity of reading as they are demanded to do so. This situation is not 

supportive of the students as they actually have to understand what they read to get the idea and 

needed information which will support their understanding of the text they are facing. Thus, 

learning to read with understanding or we can call as reading with comprehension is a very 

important skill to master. What the students need is to have good reading proficiency which will 

lead them to become a good strategic reader11. 

Many strategies and techniques have been proposed as a solution to enhance students‟ 

reading comprehension skill, one of them is metacognitive reading strategy. The metacognitive 

reading strategy is considered effective to facilitate students reading comprehension in the field 

of second/foreign language studies.12 Many research then attempted to create taxonomies of 

metacognitive reading strategy to facilitate reading comprehension.  

 

                                                 
4 Muh Barid Nizaruddin Wajdi, “Arabic Learning Skill,” AT-Tahdzib: Jurnal Studi Islam dan Muamalah  3, no. 2 

(2016): 32–47. 
5 Flora Debora Floris  and Marsha Divina, “A Study on the Reading Skil ls of EFL University Students,” 

TEFLIN Journal 20, no. 1 (2009):  37-47.  
6 Ibid. 
7 Alan Hunt and David Beglar, “A Framework for Developing EFL Reading Vocabulary,” Reading in a Foreign 

Language 17, no. 1 (2005): 23-59.  
8 I. S. P. Nation, “L1 and L2 Use in the Classroom: a Systematic Approach,” TESL Reporter 30, no. 2 (1997): 

19-27.  
9 Muh. Barid Nizaruddin Wajdi, “Pendidikan Ideal Menu rut Ibnu Khaldun  Dalam Muqaddimah,” JURNAL 

LENTERA : Kajian Keagamaan, Keilmuan dan Teknologi 1, no. 2 (September 30, 2015): 272–283, accessed October 24,  

2017, http://www.ejournal.staimnglawak.ac.id/index.php/lentera/article/view/49.  
10 Joanna P. Williams and J. Grant Atkins (Eds.), The Role of  Metacognition in Teaching Reading Comprehension to 

Primary Students (New York: Routledge, 2009).  
11 Arasy Alimudin et al., “The Factors Affecting Land Prices In Housing Location In Sidoarjo Regency,” 

International Journal of  Society Development and Engagement 1, no. 1 (2017): 2597–4777.  
12 Mohammad Reza Ahmadi, Hairul Nizam Ismail and Muhammad Kamarul Kabilan Abdullah, “The 

Importance of Metacognitive Reading Strategy Awa reness in Reading Comprehension,” English Language Teaching 6, 

no.10 (2013).  



  

 
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RESULT AND DISCUSSION 

The Basic Concepts of Metacognitive Strategies 

The term metacognition was first coined by Flavell referring to “one‟s knowledge 

concerning one‟s own cognitive processes.”13 In line with this, Metcalfe and Shimamura (1994) 

describe it as the knowledge about how someone perceives, remember, think, and act upon what 

he/she knows. Other scholars define it as knowing about knowing. The first knowing represents 

the awareness of the second knowing, that is, the understanding of different factors to complete 

a certain task, such as the state of one‟s knowledge and abilities .14 So, it can be said that having 

the metacognitive ability, one can be said to have awareness, knowledge, and control of what 

he/she has in mind and can regulate it to achieve certain purposes.15 

Metacognitive strategies are regarded as “high order executive skills that make use of 

knowledge of cognitive processes and constitute an attempt to regulate one‟s own learning by 

means of planning, monitoring, and evaluating” (Hartman, 2001; Zhang and Seepho, 2013). Pang 

(2008) asserts metacognitive strategies as the “monitoring and regulative mechanism that readers 

consciously use to enhance comprehension.”16 In reading, metacognitive strategies are self-

monitoring and self-regulating activities which focus on both the process and the product of 

reading.17  

The metacognitive process involves cognitive effort which consists of knowledge about 

and regulation of cognitive processing (Cubukcu, 2008). It affects the success of comprehension. 

Pang (2008) mentions about metacognitive strategic competence which reflects readers‟ 

monitoring and control of reading strategies. Hartman (2001) asserts that students who are aware 

and in control of their metacognitive reading behaviors can take advantage because they can 

monitor their comprehension, clarify difficulties and restore the process when it fails. 

 

The Correlation between Metacognitive Strategies and Reading Comprehension   

To apply the metacognitive strategies, the teacher should give the students systematic 

instruction about the concept of metacognition and learning strategies. This will help the 

students comprehend the new strategies better and know how to apply them to different reading 

tasks. This is in line with what Cubukcu (2008)18 has investigated. He conducted a study which 

the students had been taught metacognitive strategies for reading. The results of the study have 

confirmed that reading comprehension could be developed through systematic instruction in 

                                                 
13 J. H. Flavell, “Metacognitive Aspects of Problem-Solving,” In L. B. Resnick, The Nature of Intelligence 12, 

(1976): 231-235. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.  
14 Sabina Kleitman, Lazar Stankov, Carl Martin Allwood, Sarah Young and Karina Kar Lee Mak, 

“Metacognitive Self-Confidence in School-Aged Children,” In M. M. C. Mok (Ed.), Self -Directed Learning Oriented 

Assessments in the Asia-Pacif ic (New York: Springer,  2013). 
15 Dakwah Kultural, “DAKWAH KULTURAL, KARYA „ ULAMA INDONESIA Kajian Untuk 

Menangkal Radikalisme Agama Muh. Barid Nizaruddin Wajdi 1,” Lentera 1 (2016): 37–54. 
16 Jixian Pang, ”Research on Good and Poor Reader Characteristics: Implications for L2 Reading Research in  

China,” Reading in a Foreign Language 20 no. 1, (2008):1-18.  
17 Lian  Zhang and Sirinthorn Seepho, “Metacognitive Strategy Use and Academic Reading Achievement: 

Insights from a Chinese Context,” Electronic Journal of  Foreign Language Teaching 10, no. 1 (2013): 54-69.  
18 Feryal Çubukcu, “How to Enhance Reading Comprehension through Metacognitive Strategies ,” The 

Journal of  International Social Research 1, no. 2 (2008).  



  

 
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metacognitive language learning strategies19. The model of instruction helped the students to 

know why, when, and how to use the strategies or known as declarative, conditional (conceptual) 

and procedural knowledge (Veenman, 2005,20 Hartman, 200121). Gradually, they start to think 

metacognitively about the strategies they could use to improve reading comprehension to 

become not merely readers but also strategic readers. 

Researchers argued that metacognitive process should be taught in order to improve 

metacognitive knowledge, monitoring, and control of all readers and also to create active, 

strategic and proficient comprehenders. The process cannot occur automatically without being 

learned and practiced. Since readers are expected to comprehend the material they are reading, 

they need strategies to be applied to better comprehend the text. 

In relation to reading comprehension, Forrest-Pressley and Waller (1984) mentioned that 

metacognitive aspects of comprehension which involve knowing when one has understood a 

text he/she has read, knowing what one does not understand, and being able to use this 

knowledge to monitor comprehension. Accordingly, Zhang and Seepho (2013)22 asserted that 

metacognitive strategies in reading are those strategies designed to increase readers‟ knowledge 

of awareness and control upon their reading process, to improve their reading comprehension, 

and to evaluate whether they have succeeded in their attempt to comprehend. Forrest-Pressley 

and Waller (1984) mentioned that the ability to monitor comprehension depends on what a 

reader knows about his/her own comprehension processes. Thus, it can be said that 

metacognition is the trigger for other processes that are necessary for understanding.23 Having 

this ability, students will know what strategies to be best used in certain condition and 

instruction, when, how and why using those strategies. Students will also have the ability to select 

the most appropriate reading strategy for different passages and eliminate what are unnecessary. 

This will save time and students can take the benefits of it for completing another task. 

As previously mentioned, metacognitive strategies have positive effects on reading 

comprehension. Students can control their reading so they know what to do and what to avoid 

in maximizing their reading activity that it can attain what has been targeted before. It can also 

motivate and encourage the students to read more and understand better because they are in 

control of their reading activity, and thus promote reading comprehension. 

Ahmadi et al. (2013)24 stated that metacognitive strategies for reading which consist of 

                                                 
19

 Yuli Choirul Ummah and Muh Barid Nizarudin Wajdi, “Dismantling Paradigm Book Ta’limul Muta’allim,” 
Educatio : Journal of Education 1, no. 2 (October 30, 2016): 1–10, accessed October 21, 2017, 

http://www.ejournal.staimnglawak.ac.id/index.php/educatio/article/view/26. 
20 M. V. J. Veenman, “The Assessment of Metacognitive Skil ls: What Can Be Learned from Multi Method 

Designs?” In C. Artelt, and B. Moschner (Eds), Lernstrategien und Metakognition: Implikationen fur Forschung und Praxis , 

(2005): 75-97 (Berlin: Waxmann, 2005).  
21 Hope J. Hartman, “Developing Students' Metacognitive Knowledge and Skills,” In Hope J. Hartman (Ed.), 

Metacognition in Learning and Instruction: Theory, Research and Practice (New York: Springer-Science Business Media, B.V.,  

2001).  
22 Zhang and Seepho, “Metacognitive Strategy Use and Academic Reading Achievement: Insights from a 

Chinese Context.”  
23 Ruth H. Maki and Michael J. McGuire, “Metacognition for Text: Findings and Implications for 

Education”, In T. J. Perfect and B. L. Schwartz (Eds.), Applied Metacognition (Cambridge: Cambridge University 

Press, 2004). 
24 Ahmadi et al, “The Importance of Metacognitive Reading Strategy Awareness  in Reading 



  

 
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planning, monitoring, and evaluation can be utilized to promote the monitoring and regulation 

of the student‟s cognitive ability. Cognitive and metacognitive ability is closely related because 

metacognitive ability, like metacognitive strategies, regulates and monitors cognitive ability. 

Chamot and Kupper (1989)25 proposed some cognitive strategies which can be applied for 

reading, they are: predicting based on prior knowledge, analyzing text organization by looking for 

specific patterns, self-questioning, making a summary, taking notes by writing down the main 

idea and specific points, translating, making inference, and transferring. Some cognitive strategies 

are similar to metacognitive reading strategies, as Hartman (2001)26 suggests, they are skimming, 

activating relevant prior knowledge, constructing mental images, predicting, self-questioning, 

comprehension monitoring, summarizing and connecting new material with prior knowledge. 

 

 

The Implications of Metacognitive Strategy to Reading Comprehension   

Israel et al (2005)27 related reading comprehension with cognitive and metacognitive 

strategies by defining it as a constructive process which readers use to comprehend a text. Other 

research (Allen, 200328; Evans, 2008)29 suggest a framework of metacognitive reading strategies, 

which includes pre-reading, while-reading and post-reading activities. Oxford (1990)30 proposed 

three sets consisting of centering, arranging and planning, and evaluating. While Pintrich (1999)31 

offered planning, monitoring, and regulating. Accordingly, O'Malley et al. (1985)32 stated that 

“metacognitive strategies involve thinking about the learning process, planning for learning, 

monitoring of comprehension or production while it is taking place, and self-evaluation of 

learning after the language activity is completed”. Other researchers (Hartman, 2001; O'Malley 

and Chamot, 1990; Zhang and Seepho, 2013) simplified it to planning, monitoring, and 

evaluating. These are in line with what Lems, Miller, and Soro (2010)33 proposed about reading 

comprehension, which requires the use of strategies before, during and after reading. In 

metacognitive strategies, these three phases are integrated with planning, monitoring, and 

evaluating.  

1. Planning  

                                                                                                                                                        
Comprehension.” 

25 A. U. Chamot and L. Kupper, “Learning Strategies in Foreign Language Instruction,” Foreign Language 

Annals 22, no. 1 (1989): 13-24. 
26 Hartman, “Developing Students' Metacognitive Knowledge and Skills.” 
27 Susan E. Israel, Cathy Collins Block, Kathryn L. Bauserman and Kinnucan-Welsch, Kathryn, Metacognition 

in Literacy Learning  (New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers, 2005).  
28 S. Allen, “An Analytic Comparison of Three Models Reading Strategy Instruction,” International Review of 

Applied Linguistics 41 (2003): 319-338. 
29 S. Evans, “Reading Reaction Journals in EAP Courses,”  ELT Journal 62, no. 3 (2008): 240-270.  
30 Rebecca L. Oxford, Language Learning Strategies (Massachusetts: Heinle & Heinle Publishers,  1990). 
31 P. R. Pintrich, “The Role of Motivation in Promoting and Sustaining Self-Regulated  Learning,” International 

Journal of  Educational Research 31, (1999): 459-470.  
32 J. M. O'Malley et al, “Learning Strategies Applications with Students of English as a Second Language,”  

TESOL Quarterly 19, (1985):  285-296.  
33 Kristin Lems, Leah D. Miller and Tenena M. Soro, Teaching Reading to English Language Learners: Insights f rom 

Linguistics (New York: The Guilford Press, 2010).  



  

 
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According to Zare-ee (2008)34, planning involves the selection of appropriate 

strategies and the allocation of resources that affect performance. This benefits the students 

to prepare before reading a text. O'Malley and Chamot (1990) categorized that this phase 

into advance organizers, directed attention, functional planning, selective attention, and self-

management. Some researchers offer some activities in this phase. Ahmadi et al (2013)35 

suggested making a prediction before reading, sequencing reading strategy, and allocating 

time or attention before beginning a task. Schmitt (2005)36 proposed previewing, predicting, 

questioning and activating prior knowledge activities. Pintrich (1999) suggested setting goals, 

skimming, and generating questions before reading a text. The activities chosen should be 

based on what it is that the students need to achieve. As O'Malley and Chamot (1990) stated 

that more specific activities in planning may be influenced by the goals which were seen as 

most useful for performing a task. 

2. Monitoring  

Monitoring is a strategy which analyzes the information as the reading is in 

progress.37 The purpose is to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the reading. In this 

monitoring activity, students can check whether their reading is on the track. This is what 

O'Malley and Chamot (1990) called as self-monitoring. They can decide whether they will 

maintain their reading activity as it is or make changes related to how well the reading 

strategies they use support their comprehension. Schmitt (2005) offered some activities to be 

conducted; they are confirming predictions, making new predictions, checking 

understanding, noticing mismatches and problem-solving. Pintrich (1999) suggested tracking 

of attention while reading a text and self-testing using questions about the text material to 

check understanding. Monitoring activity is so important that Weinstein and Mayer (1985)38 

regarded all metacognitive activities as part of monitoring comprehension where students 

check their understanding of goals they make by themselves.  

3. Evaluating  

Evaluating is the appraising of the conclusion and regulatory process of the students‟ 

reading.39 It is examining the whole reading process students have conducted. In this phase, 

students can check what they have accomplished, how they accomplished, what they have 

not accomplished, why they could not accomplish, what they should do upon their reading, 

and so on. This is a self-evaluation stage (O'Malley and Chamot, 1990). Through this, 

                                                 
34 A. Zare-ee, The Relationship between Cognitive and Meta-Cognitive Strategy Use and EFL Reading Achievements (The 

First Regional Conference on English Language Teaching and Literature (ELTL-1), Tehran, Iran: Faculty of Foreign 

Language and Literature,  Islamic Azad University, Roudehen Branch, 2008).  
35 Ahmadi et al, “The Importance of Metacognitive Reading Strategy Awareness in Reading 

Comprehension.” 
36 Maribeth Cassidy Schmitt, “Measuring Students' Awareness and Control of Strategic Processes,” In S. E. 

Israel et al (Eds.), Metacognition in Literacy Learning  (New Jersey:  Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2005). 
37 Ahmadi et al, “The Importance of Metacognitive Reading Strategy Awareness in Reading 

Comprehension.” 
38 C. E. Weinstein and R. F. Mayer, “The Teaching of Learning Strategies,” In M. C. Wittrock. (Ed.), 

Handbook of  Research on Teaching (3rd ed) (New York: Macmillan, 1985), 315-329.  
39 Ahmadi et al, “The Importance of Metacognitive Reading Strategy Awareness in Reading 

Comprehension.” 



  

 
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students can investigate what strategies which best work during reading activity and evaluate 

whether they have achieved their reading goals. The students can fulfill these tasks by 

rereading the text to confirm (problem solve), self-correcting errors, attempting/rejecting 

solutions, and deliberate problem solving.40 Other activities are re-evaluating personal‟s aims 

and conclusion.41 

 

The Framework of Metacognitive Strategies in Reading Comprehension Process 

Lems et al (2010)42 suggested reading comprehension activity to use three strategies of 

before, during, and after reading, which by Zhang and Seepho (2013) and Ahmadi, et. al. (2013) 

are integrated into metacognitive reading strategies of planning, monitoring, and evaluating. 

Look at the table below. 

Metacognitive process 

& 

its sub-categories 

Metacognitive strategies in the academic reading 

comprehension process 

Planning 

(Pre-reading) 

Advance Organizer  

Determine the nature of the reading task  

Set one‟s reading goals  

Plan the objectives of reading sub-tasks  

Organizational Planning  

Plan the content of each task, the parts of specific reading tasks  

Plan the strategies for completing the tasks  

Elaborate the prior knowledge connected with the reading tasks  

Selective Attention  

Focus on a specific task by sequencing the strategies to complete 

the tasks  

Select the appropriate reading strategies for the specific tasks  

Self-Management  

Apply one or more specific reading strategies relevant to the specific 

task  

Adjust reading strategies for achieving goals  

Monitoring 

(While reading) 

Comprehension Monitoring  

Check one‟s understanding, accuracy and appropriateness of the 

over-all reading task/process  

Check one‟s own abilities and difficulties in each reading task  

Production Monitoring  

Check whether the reading strategies learned from class can solve 

the comprehension problems  

Trace the selected reading strategies and adopt alternatives when it 

                                                 
40 Schmitt, “Measuring Students' Awareness and Control of Strategic Processes .” 
41 Ahmadi et al, “The Importance of Metacognitive Reading Strategy Awareness in Reading 

Comprehension.” 
42 Lems et al,  Teaching Reading to English Language Learners: Insights f rom Linguistics. 



  

 
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Metacognitive process 

& 

its sub-categories 

Metacognitive strategies in the academic reading 

comprehension process 

is not working  

Evaluating 

(Post-reading) 

Self-Assessment  

Make an assessment of whether one succeeds in the reading goal  

Self-Evaluation  

Evaluate how well one learned to read  

Evaluate the reading strategy use  

Self-Reflection  

Reflect one‟s own problems whether he/she needs to go back 

through the reading process for a better understanding  

 

There are some metacognitive reading strategies proposed by Zhang and Seepho (2013)43 

which were adapted from Chamot and O‟Malley (1989)‟s which are then divided into three steps 

of planning, monitoring, and evaluating which consist of nine main categories, they are Advance 

Organizer, Organizational Planning, Selective Attention and Self-Management for planning step, 

Comprehension and Production Monitoring for monitoring step, and Self-Assessment, Self-

Evaluation and Self-Reflection for evaluation step.  

Advance Organizer category consists of determining the nature of the reading task, 

setting one‟s reading goals, and planning the objectives of reading sub-tasks. In implementing 

these reading strategies in class, there are some activities which can be done, for example by 

considering the previous success with the similar tasks and identifying the purpose of the 

assigned tasks, activating the background knowledge to get a general idea, previewing the 

questions or the instructions, and trying to predict the contents of the text from the title. 

Organizational Planning category consists of planning the content of each task, planning 

the strategies for completing tasks and elaborating the prior knowledge connected with the 

reading tasks. These strategies can be done by some activities, for example by coming up with a 

list of reading strategies which will probably be used, scanning the text first and concentrate on 

what will be read, reading the task before reading the text, and reading the text before reading 

the task.  

Selective Attention category focuses on a specific task by sequencing the strategies to 

complete the tasks and select the appropriate reading strategies for the specific tasks. These can 

be done by determining the major points which will be paid attention to, such as the headings 

and sub-headings, the topic sentence, and the text structure, and recalling weak points in reading 

comprehension and trying to comprehend when reading begins.  

Self-Management category consists of applying one or more specific reading strategies 

which are relevant to the specific task and adjusting reading strategies for achieving goals that 

have been set before. These can be done by locating the task questions in the specific paragraph 

                                                 
43 Zhang and Seepho, “Metacognitive Strategy Use and Academic Reading Achievement: Insights from a 

Chinese Context.”  



  

 
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of the text and planning before reading. Other activity can be also by writing additional 

information or details which can help the students comprehending the texts. 

Comprehension Monitoring category consists of checking one‟s understanding, accuracy 

and appropriateness of the overall reading task/process and checking one‟s own abilities and 

difficulties in each reading task. There are some activities which can be done to complete these 

strategies, for example, first reading for the general ideas of the text, paying Selective Attention 

to the information predicted and required in the task, verifying inference of the previous 

paragraph and predicting what will come in the next paragraph, finding ways to overcome the 

problems when get stuck with difficult vocabulary, finding ways to concentrate on reading even 

when there are many distractions around, refocusing concentration on reading through the text 

and task, underlining the difficult sentences and words and trying to understand them, skipping 

words or sentences which are not understood, translating sentence by sentence while reading, 

focusing on one specific goal at a time, keeping reading even if having difficulty and constantly 

checking the understanding of the text, and regulating reading speed according to the given time 

and length of the text. 

Production Monitoring category consists of two strategies, they are checking whether the 

reading strategies learned from class can solve the comprehension problems, and tracing the 

selected reading strategies and adopting alternatives when it is not working. These strategies can 

be done by some activities, for example using reading strategies to help comprehend the text 

better, searching for the answers for the task questions, thinking of ways to solve reading 

problems even when they are very difficult, considering whether the reader understand the 

beginning and the ending of the text correctly, choosing appropriate reading strategies to solve 

immediate reading problems, and changing the strategies if they cannot help in accomplishing 

the reading comprehension task. 

Self-Assessment consists of making an assessment of whether one succeeds in the 

reading goal. This strategy can be done by realizing that the major concern is coming with the 

better understanding by accomplishing the task, checking to see if the reading strategies are 

helpful for the text comprehension, enjoying discussing with classmates for the difficult points 

and exchanging the reading experience to get a more effective reading method to achieve the 

goal, and using the reader‟s own reading plan for judging how well he/she read. 

Self-Evaluation consists of two strategies; they are evaluating how well one learned to 

read and evaluating the reading strategy use. These strategies can be done by referring to the 

reading goal to evaluate if the reader achieve it, setting a higher reading goal such as 

comprehension level for next time based on what works best this time and what the reader 

thinks he/she should keep or change and being able to use the characteristics of a good reader as 

criteria to evaluate the reader‟s own reading.  

The last category of metacognitive reading strategy is Self-Reflection, which consists of 

reflecting one‟s own problems whether he/she needs to go back through the reading process for 

a better understanding. This strategy can be done by some activities, for example, spending time 

to motivate the reader him/herself to improve the reading even if he/she finds that he/she does 

a poor job, spending time reflecting on the reader‟s reading performance, and recalling and 

summarizing the reading strategies to see what might the reader keep or change to make an 



  

 
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improvement on his/her reading next time. 

As previously mentioned, the nine categories of metacognitive strategies are grouped into 

three steps of planning, monitoring, and evaluating. Each step of metacognitive strategy benefits 

reading comprehension process if they are organized and done appropriately. Pintrich 

(1999:461)44 mentions that planning activity functions to “help the learner plan their use of 

cognitive strategies and also seem to activate or prime relevant aspects of prior knowledge, 

making the organization and comprehension of the material much easier”. In planning activity, 

there is predicting which involve activating prior knowledge of the reader. This is one of the top-

down processes which helps the reader to construct pre-understanding upon the text he/she is 

going to read. This can benefit the reader to prepare his mental state to face reading text. 

Another activity besides predicting is setting up goals before reading, which is considered as 

most useful for performing a task (O'Malley and Chamot, 1990)45 since the reader is aware of 

what he/she is going to accomplish by performing the task. When the reader has goals to 

accomplish, he/she seems able to extract and remember specific information from a text with 

little incidental learning (Forrest-Pressley and Waller, 1984)46 because the focus of reading 

activity has been previously decided. However, in the absence of goals, the information 

remembered is variable and likely to change. 

Monitoring activity enables students to check whether resources and knowledge they 

have are sufficient and being well used, whether their ability is sufficient and appropriate and 

whether they are doing what they have planned before.47 In this phase, students can check 

whether their reading is on the track. When they find some activities are not appropriate, they 

can do several things to get it back on track. For example, as Lems et al (2010)48 suggested, by 

doing rereading, retelling, paraphrasing, looking for alternative explanations, looking for a 

connection to our experience, looking forward or backward in a text, checking the illustration, or 

stopping and asking questions to them. 

The last is evaluating. This step is when the evaluation of all strategies takes place. In this 

phase, students can evaluate whether they have achieved the goal of their reading, whether they 

have applied the strategies appropriately, and whether they need to go back reading for a better 

understanding. This phase correlates a lot with the planning phase because this phase determines 

whether the planning has been arranged and organized well or not. This phase also determines 

whether the whole reading activity meets its target and considered successful or not. 

 

CONCLUSION 

Based on the explanation above, we could conclude that metacognitive strategy had 

impact on students‟ reading comprehension achievement. It promoted students‟ reading 

                                                 
44 Pintrich,  “The Role of Motivation in Promoting and Sustaining Self-Regulated Learning.” 
45 J. Michael O'Malley and Anna Uhl Chamot, Learning Strategies in Second Language Acquisition (Cambridge: 

Cambridge University Press, 1990).  
46 Donna-Lynn Forrest-Pressley and T. Gary Waller,  Cognition, Metacognition, and Reading (New York: Springer-

Verlag, 1984).  
47 B. D. Slife and C. A. Weaver, “Dep ression, Cognitive Skill, and Metacognitive Skill in Problem -Solving,”  

Cognit. Emotion 6, (1992): 1-22. 
48 Lems et al,  Teaching Reading to English Language Learners: Insights f rom Linguistics. 



  

 
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performance as well as their ability to maximize their reading effectively. By accustoming using 

metacognitive strategy in their reading activity, students would become skilled and were in their 

process to become good and strategic readers. Strategic readers had the ability to plan, monitor, 

and evaluate their reading automatically, as represented by three steps of metacognitive strategy 

activities. By doing so, they get the most from their reading and further achieve the targeted 

score. 

 

 

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