Many strategies and techniques have been proposed as solution to enhance the students reading comprehension skill. One of them is metacognitive reading strategy.
Metacognitive reading strategy awareness, are strategies that help students to regulate or monitor cognitive strategies (Ahmadi et al., 2013). Many researches then attempted to create taxonomies of metacognitive reading strategy to facilitate reading comprehension.
Semtin and Maniam (2015) describe the Metacognitive Strategy as a technique that requires “planning for learning, thinking about the learning process that takes place, monitoring of one’s comprehension, and evaluating learning after completion of a task” (p. 55).
According to Mokhtari and Sheorey (2002), metacognitive reading strategies can be divided into three subcategories: Global, Problem-solving, and Support strategies. The knowledge of these strategies recalls the concept of metacognitive knowledge, which is considered the key factor that can successfully improve reading, especially those in foreign language environments. These Metacognitive Strategies assist the language teachers to better understand their students’ different reading styles and identify the most impactful reading strategies to be taught in the language classroom.
2.6.1. Global reading strategies
Global Reading Strategies refer to the techniques through which learners arrange their process of reading and comprehension. The pre-reading activities as using existing knowledge and setting a goal before reading are examples of these strategies, Mokhtari and Sheorey (2002).
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According to Semtin and Maniam (2015), Global Reading Strategy focuses on guiding the students to have a reading purpose in mind when reading a text which can be increasing vocabularies and getting more information on specific topics.
The use of global reading strategies is directed towards a global analysis of the reading text. For example, paying attention to the characteristics of the text, guessing what the text is about, and the like. Use of these strategies helps the reader make himself or herself ready to comprehend the main text. These strategies are mostly general and intentionally employed. Among 30 items of The Survey of Reading Strategies (SORS) by Mokhtari and Sheory (2002), this category contains 13 items:
1. I have a purpose in mind when I read.
2. I think about what I know to help me understand what I read.
3. I take an overall view of the text to see what it is about before reading it.
4. I think about whether the content of the text fits my reading purpose.
5. I review the text first by noting its characteristics like length and organization.
6. I decide what to read close and what to ignore.
7. I use tables, figures, and pictures in text to increase my understanding.
8. I use context clues to help me better understand what I am reading.
9. I use typographical features like bold face and italics to identify key information.
10. I critically analyze and evaluate the information in the text.
11. I check my understanding when I come across new information.
12. I try to guess what the content of the text is about when I read.
13. I check to see if my guesses about the text are right or wrong.
2.6.2. Problem- solving reading strategies
Problem-Solving Strategies constitute techniques that readers resort to so that they can overcome difficulties facing them while reading an English text.
“Rereading hard to understand text” and “adapting one's reading rate to the difficulty level of what they’re reading” are examples of these strategies, Mokhtari and Sheorey (2002).
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Semtin and Maniam (2015) also indicated that Problem-Solving Strategy focuses on assessing the students to solve reading problems when they are reading difficult texts which include adjusting the reading s peed, rereading the text, reading aloud, and guessing the meaning of the difficult words.The name of Problem- solving strategies is suggestive in itself. These strategies help the reader tackle the problem while the text becomes difficult to understand. Examples include re- reading for a better understanding, pausing and thinking about the text, starting again from the part where you lost your concentration, and so forth. These strategies help the readers in the real act of reading a text, allowing the reader to get through the text skillfully. Among 30 items of The Survey of Reading Strategies (SORS) by Mokhtari and Sheory (2002), this category contains 8 items:
1. I read slowly and carefully to make sure I understand what I am reading.
2. I try to get back on track when I lose concentration.
3. I adjust my reading speed according to what I am reading.
4. When text becomes difficult, I pay closer attention to what I am reading 5. I stop from time to time and think about what I am reading.
6. I try to picture or visualize information to help remember what I read.
7. When text becomes difficult, I re-read it to increase my understanding.
8. When I read, I guess the meaning of unknown words or phrases.
2.6.3. Support reading strategies
Mokhtari and Sheorey (2002) defines support strategies are the group of techniques that help the reader to comprehend the text during reading. Examples of these strategies are when learners choose to underline key words, highlight important points and pay attention to the typographical aspects of the text.
Support reading strategies mostly involve using outside reference materials, taking notes, underlining information, and other practical strategies. Via these support or functional strategies, a reader can sustain responses to the reading text.
According to Semtin and Maniam (2015), Support Reading Strategy focuses on providing the students with extra reading techniques, which include using some reference materials, such as the dictionary, taking notes and underlining particular
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sentences to remember, asking self-questions to find the answers, and paraphrasing the paragraphs. Among 30 items of The Survey of Reading Strategies (SORS) by Mokhtari and Sheory (2002), this category includes 9 items:
1. I take notes while reading to help me understand what I read.
2. When text becomes difficult, I read aloud to help me understand what I read.
3. I underline or circle information in the text to help me remember it.
4. I go back and forth in the text to find relationship among ideas in it.
5. I summarize what I read to reflect on important information in the text.
6. I discuss what I read with others to check my understanding.
7. I ask myself questions I like to have answered in the text.
8. I use reference materials such as dictionary to help me better understand.
9. I paraphrase to better understand what I read.