The Role of Metacognitive Strategies in Enhancing Reading Comprehension for Second and Foreign Language Learners

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-611-6_40How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Metacognitive Strategies; Reading Comprehension; Second/Foreign language learning

Abstract

Reading comprehension in a second or foreign language presents significant challenges that extend beyond linguistic proficiency. This paper examines the critical role of metacognitive strategies in helping learners overcome these challenges. Metacognition empowers learners to transition from passive decoders to active, strategic readers. The paper synthesizes theoretical frameworks that underpin metacognition in reading, detailing key strategies such as planning, monitoring, and evaluating comprehension. It explores various instructional methods to cultivate these skills in the SL/FL classroom. By reviewing evidence from empirical studies, the analysis confirms that metacognitive training not only improves reading comprehension performance but also fosters greater learner autonomy and self-regulation. The findings hold significant pedagogical implications, advocating for a shift in curriculum design and teacher education to prioritize the development of metacognitive awareness.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Wei Guo
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/07
TI  - The Role of Metacognitive Strategies in Enhancing Reading Comprehension for Second and Foreign Language Learners
BT  - Proceedings of the 2026 12th International Conference on Digital Humanities and Frontiers in Social Sciences (DHFSS 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 359
EP  - 370
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-611-6_40
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-611-6_40
ID  - Guo2026
ER  -