Resumen de Cross-linguistic awareness of metacognitive reading strategies in Standard Arabic (L1) and English (L3) among Moroccan EFL undergraduate students: a mixed-methods study

Jihane Es-sarrad, Bouchaib Benzehaf, Hassane Razkane

• Although metacognition is fundamental in higher education performance, little attention was devoted to investigating the awareness of metacognitive reading strategies (MCRS) in L1 and L3 in the Moroccan context. Hence, the present study employs a mixed-methods design to examine the awareness of MCRS in Standard Arabic (L1) and English (L3) among Moroccan EFL undergraduate students. 183 students were conveniently selected to participate in the study, with 17 purposefully selected for semi-structured interviews. Data were collected using a five-point Likert Scale questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. Mean scores were analysed to determine MCRS awareness. In addition, Pearson Correlation Coefficient was adopted to examine the relationship between the awareness of such strategies in Standard Arabic and English. Furthermore, thematic analysis was utilised to analyse qualitative data. Results revealed a moderately high awareness of planning and monitoring strategies in both languages, and moderate awareness of evaluation strategies. Furthermore, a statistically significant positive correlation was found between students’ awareness of MCRS in English and Standard Arabic. Thematic findings further highlighted students’ knowledge of such strategies when engaging with texts in both languages. These results underscore how metacognitive knowledge in one language can be exploited to enhance another.