Metacognitive Strategy Use and Its Effect on College Biology Students' Attitude Toward Reading in the Content Area

Abstract

This research was completed to answer the following questions: What metacognitive strategies do students report using while reading biology texts? What is the relationship between reading strategies use and their attitude toward reading biology? Does strategy use vary among good and poor readers, gender, and majors? Does explicit strategy instruction improve students' attitude toward reading biology texts? During the study, 430 students completed the Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategies Inventory and an attitude survey. Ten students volunteered as case study participants. These students received instruction using multiple metacognitive strategies and participated in an interview. This research indicated that college freshmen are somewhat skilled using metacognitive reading strategies, but rely primarily on problem-solving strategies. Use of metacognitive reading strategies was positively correlated with student attitudes toward reading science texts. Significant differences were found among good and poor readers, males and females, and different majors.