awej 5 no.4 full issue 2014

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AWEJ Volume.5 Number.4, 2014Pp.187-202Metacognitive and Cognitive Strategy Use and Performance on a Reading Test withMultiple-format TasksMohammed AssiriEnglish Language CenterInstitute of Public Administration, Saudi ArabiaAbstractMetacognitive and cognitive strategies collaborate in the actual taking of reading tests (Phakiti &Li, 2011). In certain EFL contexts, it was found that metacognitive strategies regulated cognitivestrategies that directly affected test performance. However, a question can be posed as to whetherthis finding applies to other EFL contexts, for example, Saudi Arabia. Besides, effects ofmetacognitive and cognitive strategies on performances on different reading-task formats remainunexplored. Therefore, this study examined effects of metacognitive and cognitive strategies onperformance on a reading test composed of four task formats, among 98 Saudi EFL learners.Data comprised scores on a reading test and responses to a strategy questionnaire. Findingsshowed that cognitive strategy use mediated the effect of metacognitive strategy use on testperformance. The use of both metacognitive and cognitive strategies had small to medium effectson performances on the task formats. Most strategy subscales were directly related toperformances on the task formats. It was concluded that Saudi EFL learners make use ofmetacognitive and cognitive strategies on reading tests in a manner similar to that observed inother EFL contexts. Also, different reading tasks demand versatile uses of metacognitive andcognitive strategies. This study ends with implications for strategy instruction and readingassessment, the current theory, and future research.Keywords: Cognitive strategies, metacognitive strategies, reading tests, task format, testperformance.Arab World English JournalISSN: 2229-9327www.awej.org187
AWEJ Volume.5 Number.3, 2014Metacognitive and Cognitive Strategy Use and PerformanceAssiriIntroductionRecent research on L2 reading (see Alderson, 2000; Anderson, 2005; Hudson, 2007) has shownthat successful performance on reading tasks involved appropriate use of skills and regulation ofstrategies. On the basis of the information-processing theory (Newell & Simon, 1972), scholars(e.g., Phakiti, 2008; Purpura, 1999) uphold the view that strategies used in reading tests can becategorized as metacognitive strategies and cognitive strategies. While the former refer to a setof conscious tactics that regulate cognitive processing of linguistic input through planningbeforehand, monitoring comprehension, and evaluating performance, the latter representconscious behaviors that help with understanding, storing, and recalling of linguistic information.In other words, metacognitive strategies comprise planning, monitoring, and evaluation, whereascognitive strategies encompass comprehension, memory, and retrieval.There have been recent calls for more research on how strategic competence shapesperformance on language tests (e.g., Phakiti, 2008). One area of strategic competence, in needfor more research, deals with how the use of metacognitive and cognitive strategies influencesperformance on reading tests. In this respect, Phakiti (2006) notes that the use of such strategieson reading tasks can be described as “a synchronic situation-related variation betweenmetacognitive strategies and cognitive strategies” (p. 83). This suggests that the ways in whichmetacognitive and cognitive strategies are used on reading tests are determined by situationalfactors, including task formats. However, it remains unexplored as to how metacognitive andcognitive strategy use relates to performance on a reading test composed of multiple-taskformats.Performance on language tests, including tests of reading, highly varies among learningsettings depending on a multitude of context-specific factors (McNamara, 1996). Research onhow metacognitive and cognitive strategies are used on reading tests in a variety of EFL settingswould allow us to compare relevant findings across these settings (Phakiti, 2008). From myexperience as an EFL instructor in Saudi Arabia, there is almost a lack of emphasis on the role ofstrategic awareness among learners in intensive English programs. Learners believe that theyhave to rely only on their knowledge of English to do well on their exams. And, if they areconfronted with challenging questions, they try to make maximum use of test-wiseness. Thiswould ultimately reduce any chances of positive effects of assessment on learning (or positivewashback). Therefore, it is hoped that this study would draw the attention of EFL practitioners inSaudi Arabia to the importance of implementing strategy instruction, especially for purposes thatserve reading assessment.Literature ReviewResearch on how metacognitive and cognitive strategy use relates to performance on readingtests first started in the late 1990s. In one of the earlier studies, Purpura (1998) investigated therelationship between strategy use and performance on a standardized test. The researcher had1,382 EFL respondents from language centers in three European countries. The respondents firstfilled out a metacognitive and cognitive strategy questionnaire. Then, they took a test composedof two main sections on reading comprehension and English usage. Using structural equationmodeling, the researcher found two factorial structures: One factor represented metacognitivestrategy use which consisted of planning, monitoring, and evaluation strategies; and, anotherrepresented cognitive strategy use which comprised comprehension, memory, and retrievalstrategies. Based on this model, the researcher concluded that use of metacognitive strategies hada significantly direct, positive effect on the use of cognitive strategies.Arab World English JournalISSN: 2229-9327www.awej.org188
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