The Relationship Between Iranian EFL Learners’ Critical Thinking and Metacognitive Reading Strategies

The importance of learners’ metacognitive strategies for successful second/foreign language readers has been affirmed in the literature (Zhang & Seepho, 2013). This study set out to explore the correlation between English as a Foreign Language learners’ critical thinking and metacognitive reading strategies. The participants in this study consisted of 41 Iranians who were majoring in English language teaching, 13 males and 28 females. The age of the participants ranged from 19-27. They were selected through convenience sampling from Kerman Institute of Higher Education, Iran. Critical Thinking Questionnaire and Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategies Inventory were used as instruments of the study. The results revealed that there was a positive and significant relationship between EFL learners critical thinking and metacognitive reading strategy. Therefore, the results of this study suggest that critical thinking ability can improve reading skills and can help EFL learners to use metacognitive strategies in language learning.

Keywords:

critical thinking , reading strategies , metacognition , Iranian EFL learners