READING METACOGNITIVELY

Abstract

The research concern of this dissertation is to highlight the importance of a vital aspect of the psycholinguistic processes in reading: metacognition. The rationale of this study is to display the link between the readers' knowledge of what reading involves i.e. the reading requirements and the strategies used which are basically metacognitive strategies and the type of reading needed for literary texts. This investigation also aims to shed light on the relationship between the readers' use of metacognitive strategies to monitor and regulate the reading process and their reading performance as regards literary texts in the context of this study. The study's theoretical framework is based on the works of Flavell (1978), one of the first theorists to embark on the investigation of the notions of meta-memory and metacognition and to describe metacognition as knowledge and regulation of cognition. Thirty one third year students from the English Department, University of Algiers at Bouzareah were selected for this investigation as well as five literature teachers who provided information about the demands and the strategies needed for reading a literary text. Two questionnaires and a reading task were used in the study to probe the metacognitive aspects present or absent in students' reading of literary texts. The results were compared and showed that the knowledge students possess about reading is not specific to the task per se and does not match the requirements of the reading task. In addition, deficits at the level of control appear to be dominant in students' processing since they lack knowledge about how best to do it i.e. namely the use of alternative, appropriate strategies. All the above things considered, the study calls for training first year university students to monitor and regulate their own reading process since it is the basic skill through which they learn. This can be achieved if they are able to detect their own failures and attempt to find solutions for them. Prior to use, the students ought to possess the knowledge required to control the process effectively.