The nature of metacognitive knowledge for reading comprehension strategy and language use by highly proficient learners of English

This study focused on exploring various dimensions of metacognitive knowledge developed by advanced readers in academic contexts, and explaining their behaviors of using strategies and their languages from metacognitive perspectives. The findings of this study were further discussed with respect to good readers’ characteristics of utilizing their knowledge, strategy and language resources metacognitively in their reading comprehension process. The types of metacognitive knowledge and the ways this knowledge is involved in the reading comprehension process do not seem to vary much according to the languages (L1 or L2) of given tasks. No matter in what languages they were asked to read academic texts, the participants were influenced by their goal and interest, as these played a critical role in guiding the reading comprehension process. While reading academic texts, both languages of these advanced readers actively interacted. First, the readers used their two linguistic resources in processing information of the text. The readers processed information by means of simplifying or elaborating information using their two languages. Secondly, they used their two languages interactively during the entire reading process, from planning, monitoring, and evaluating, to writing a summary. With the findings of this study, theoretical, methodological, and educational implications are made respectively. Finally, several contextual limitations of this study are acknowledged, requiring cautions in interpreting the findings of this study, and calling for future studies.