Arab Educational Information Network

This study aimed to identify the level of performance of students in reading comprehension, their degree of use of metacognitive reading strategies and the relationship between students’ use of metacognitive strategies and reading comprehension skills. The sample of the study consisted of (339) students from the scientific and literary departments at the Faculty of Education, Taibah University enrolled in the General Diploma Education Program in the year 1438/1439 A.H. To this end, the researcher constructed a test to measure the level of reading comprehension and applied the Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategies Inventory (MARSI) (Mokhtari and Richard, 2002). The study found that the average level of reading comprehension among teacher students is between high and medium. The level of direct reading comprehension is high, while the level of applied reading comprehension is weak. The study also found that the use of teacher students of metacognitive strategies is between high and intermediate. The use of supportive strategies is at the high level, while the use of problem-solving strategies is at the intermediate level. The study showed no statistically significant differences among the averages of teacher students in reading comprehension and the use of metacognitive strategies attributed to the study variables (scientific/literary; male/female). The study found a positive relationship with a correlation coefficient of 0.53 at the level of 0.01. According to the results, the study presented a number of recommendations and suggestions. (Published abstract)