Paper Details

Name: Kakoli Sen Banerjee & Somak Mandal
Country: India

Year: 2026
Volume: Volume No: 13, Issue No: 1 (January-June)
Page Number: 29-46
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19465204

ABSTRACT
This study investigates the role of conscious use of metacognitive reading strategies in
improving reading comprehension among undergraduate ESL (English as a Second
Language) learners in a semi-urban college in West Bengal. Although international research consistently demonstrates a strong relationship between metacognitive awareness and successful reading, empirical evidence from Indian higher education—particularly within undergraduate English Honours programmes—remains limited. The present study addresses this gap by examining how learners employ metacognitive strategies while reading academic prose and poetry texts. Using a mixed-methods research design, data were collected from 28 undergraduate students enrolled in Semester III and Semester V. Quantitative instruments include measuring and quantifying prose and poetry reading comprehension tests and an adapted version of the Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategies Inventory (MARSI). Qualitative data were obtained through classroom observations, reflective reading journals, and semi-structured interviews, allowing for triangulation of findings. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, while qualitative data were thematically coded.
The findings reveal a strong positive relationship between conscious use of metacognitive strategy and reading comprehension performance. The study concludes, on the basis the findings, that explicit instruction in metacognitive reading strategies is essential for improving reading comprehension among Indian undergraduate ESL learners. Integrating strategy-based pedagogy into undergraduate curricula can empower students to engage more confidently and critically with complex academic texts. The paper recommends larger, multiinstitutional, and intervention-based studies to validate and extend the findings of the present investigation.

Keywords: Metacognitive strategies; Reading comprehension; ESL learners; Undergraduate education; Poetry comprehension; Prose comprehension; MARSI; Gender differences; Indian higher education.