Exploring Metacognitive Scaffolding In Reading Comprehension Among Engineering Undergraduates

Abstract

The present research was undertaken at a public university in Pakistan. The reading course focuses on traditional classroom instruction based on grammar drills, vocabulary lessons, and the skills needed for solving de-contextualized reading comprehension questions. However, different tasks are used to evaluate one’s knowledge; this enables students to measure the time and skills required for learning. This research aims at investigating metacognitive strategies in reading comprehension. Considerable research in education revealed that engineering students do not understand the basic concepts of different subjects in their undergraduate studies. The data was gathered through qualitative instruments using semi-structured interviews with 10 teacher respondents, focus group interviews with 8 groups of student respondents, and 12 classroom observation reports. This research study’s data was organized using NVivo software version 08 to determine the reading comprehension of engineering students in Pakistan. The findings revealed that students used several strategies to develop their reading comprehension. Some students could not complete their reading tasks as they failed to use certain strategies. Additionally, the findings of classroom observations verified the results based on respondents’ interviews and confirmed that metacognitive scaffolding and strategy use can improve students’ reading comprehension. To sum up, this research study draws attention to the magnitude of the educational representatives to the offered behaviors in the classrooms, not only to the use of strategy in each classroom’s setting but as a possible mark of an attachment in the existing metacognitive strategies.