Self Regulated Learning strategies as Predictors of Reading Comprehension among Students of English as a Foreign Language

Online Publication Date: 5 February 2012 Publisher: Asian Economic and Social Society Self Regulated Learning strategies as Predictors of Reading Comprehension among Students of English as a Foreign Language AbdulRahman Awad Al Asmari (Assistant Professor, Director, English Language Center, Taif University, KSA) Nasrah Mahmoud Ismail (Assistant Professor, English Language Center, Taif University, KSA) Citation: AbdulRahman Awad Al Asmari, Nasrah Mahmoud Ismail (7017): “ Self Regulated Learning strategies as Predictors of Reading Comprehension among Students of English as a Foreign Language” International Journal of Asian Social Science , Vol.2, No.2,pp.178-201. International Journal of Asian Social Science, 2(2), pp.178-201 Self Regulated Learning strategies as Predictors of Reading Comprehension among Students of English as a Foreign Language Abstract Author (s) AbdulRahman Awad Al Asmari Assistant Professor, Director, English Language Center, Taif University, KSA Email: [email protected] Nasrah Mahmoud Ismail Assistant Professor, English Language Center, Taif University, KSA E-mail: [email protected] This cross-sectional study investigates the self regulated learning strategies used as predictors of reading comprehension. Participants of the study were 248 EFL university students: 112 males and 136 females enrolled in the Faculty of Arts, Foreign Languages Department. The primary aims of the study were: (1) to examine whether there were positive relationships between the use of self regulated learning strategies and reading comprehension; (2) whether there were significant differences between males and females in use of self regulated learning strategies and reading comprehension; (3) and finally to gauge predictors of reading comprehension themselves through self regulated learning strategies towards learning English language. Students were asked to answer questions based on a 5-point Likert-scale self regulated learning Questionnaire and they were asked to read three different passages and answer the questions that followed each passage. The results of MANOVA also revealed that there were differences between males and females in the use of self regulated learning strategies in favour of females. However, there were differences between males and females in the reading comprehension test to the advantage of males. The results of MANOVA analysis revealed that there were differences between students across their different academic levels in self regulated learning strategies. There were also differences between students across different academic levels, in the reading comprehension test. The results of multiple regression reported that some of the self-regulated learning strategies were predictors of reading comprehension. Keywords- self regulated learning strategies – reading comprehension – EFL students, gender differences –academic levels Theoretical foundation Self regulated learning (SRL) Knowledge nowadays tends to become obsolete very quickly due to rapid technological changes, market changes, and continuous innovations in how work is organized to keep pace with our turbulent society (Onstenk, 1998). Consequently, schools emphasize that students should be equipped for self-regulated learning, which has been defined as a learning process in which self-generated thoughts, feelings, and actions are systematically oriented towards attainment of the student’s own goals (Zimmerman & Schunk, 2008). Self-regulation is a broad construct that includes a monitoring and an action component that encompass a complex array of interacting cognitive and emotional processes aimed at goal attainment (Eisenberg, Champion, & Ma, 2004; Mischel & Ayduk, 2004). Self-regulation can refer to the degree to which individuals become metacognitively, motivationally, and behaviorally active participants in their own learning processes 178 Self Regulated Learning strategies..... (Zimmerman, 1986). Self-regulated learning is a construct that has developed during the last 30 years in order to meet these demands (Winne, 2005). Self-regulated learners manipulate the skills to learn effectively both in school and later in life. As such, selfregulated learning has been highly praised as the key competence to initiate and maintain lifelong learning (see e.g., Kauffman, 2004). Self-regulation, while related to academic achievement and cognitive skills, is clearly not synonymous with cognitive competency alone. It brings into the arena success in schooling, and later on, professional development and complex cognitive and socioemotional processes that extend beyond language and mathematical competency (Evans & Rosenbaum, 2008). According to Schunk (2001), self-regulated learning is defined as, ‘‘learning that results from students’ selfgenerated thoughts and behaviours that are systematically oriented toward the attainment of their learning goals” (p5 17.). To become self-regulated learners, Boekaerts (1999) argued that students should learn to regulate the use of information-processing modes, the learning process, and the self. By recognising the importance of regulating the self, the focus of research into self-regulated learning is shifting from studying principally cognitive processes to studying cognition in interaction with motivation (Rozendaal, Minnaert, & Boekaerts, 2001). Self-regulated learning (SRL) is deemed as a multi-dimensional construct that has traditionally been difficult to operationalise (Boekaerts, 1996; Boekaerts & Corno, 2005). In general, SRL involves activating and sustaining cognitions, behaviours, and emotions in a systematic way to attain learning goals (Pintrich, 2000). Accordingly, selfregulated learners are assumed to manage their behaviours and anxieties to facilitate learning, actively avoiding behaviours and cognitions detrimental to academic success (Byrnes, Miller, & Reynolds, 1999; Stallworth-Clark, Cochran, Nolen, Tuggle, & Scott, 2000). Also, it was found that self-regulated students understand the strategies and environments necessary for learning to occur, and feel capable of performing to their personal standards (Chemers, Hu, & Garcia, 2001; Pintrich & De Groot, 1990; Zimmerman & Schunk, 2008). When challenged, selfregulated learners manage to understand when and how to utilize strategies that increase persistence and performance, and they purposefully use meta-cognitive strategies that incorporate self-monitoring and evaluative components that allow for self-observation and self-reaction (Schunk & Zimmerman, 1994). Further, self-regulated students are supposed to monitor the efficacy of their learning strategies and replace inefficient strategies with different ones (Kolić-Vehovec, Rončević & Bajšanski, 7008)5 Kolić-Vehovec et al. conclude that groups with high mastery orientation had more adaptive motivational profile and more adequate reading strategy use than groups with high work-avoidance orientation. In a recent study, highly self-regulated group had a tendency to study more material and for a longer time than less self-regulated individuals (Abar & Loken, 2010). From a relevant perspective, deficiencies in self-regulation skills, beginning in early childhood was found to contribute to the income-achievement gap. Evans and Rosenbaum (2008) contend that success in school depends upon more than cognitive skill attainment, including the maturation of selfregulation skills. To become self-regulated learners, the students must regulate not only their behaviour but also their underlying motives; i.e. their performance related cognition, beliefs, intentions, and emotions. This implies that students who develop effective self-regulated learning are mentally active in their own learning process and exert a significant degree of control over goal attainment instead of being a passive recipient of information (Schunk, 1994), which is assumed to lead to high performance. SRL is constantly evolving, with students improving upon existing behaviors and strategies based on prior success and emerging challenges (Winne, 1995). Therefore, Corno and Mandinach (1983) stress that instruction in strategy use is an effective means of promoting self-regulation. In social cognitive theory, selfregulation is viewed as entailing at least four components: goal setting, self-observation, 179 International Journal of Asian Social Science, 2(2), pp.178-201 self-judgment, and self-reaction (Bandura, 1986; Schunk, 1989). Goal setting is essential to self-regulation. Self-regulated learning processes involve goal-directed cognitive activities that students instigate, modify, and sustain (Zimmerman, 1986). Self-regulated performance differs from Self-regulated learning in that Self-regulated learning is based on both will and skill, while Self-regulated performance is based just on wills (McCombs & Marzano, 1990). Key line of research in this area has identified three major components for self-regulated learning: Cognitive, metacognitive, and resource management learning strategies. Reading comprehension Reading means different things to different people. For some it is perceived as recognizing written words, while for others, especially students, it can be an opportunity to learn pronunciation and practice speaking. However, reading always has a purpose. It is something that we do every day; it is an integral part of our daily lives, taken very much for granted and generally assumed to be something that everyone can do. The rationale for reading depends very much on the purpose for reading (Berardo, 2006). Good reading ability is the key to success in school and this is one reason why researchers are trying to find significant educational and psychological variables that can explain variations in reading ability and academic achievement. Reading comprehension, the construction of meaning from text, is generally considered one of the most central cognitive skills young students acquire during their school career (Mason, 2004). Reading comprehension lays the foundation for the acquisition of knowledge in different subject matters taught at elementary and secondary schools and constitutes an important prerequisite for lifelong learning in adulthood (Alvermann & Earle, 2003). The mastery of basic reading skills, such as word recognition and decoding, is integral to many higher-order processes involved in reading comprehension skills (e.g., Artelt, Schiefele, & Schneider, 2001; Cromley & Azevedo, 2007). First language (L1) studies have shown that good readers use strategies that assist them in building a global model of text content, such as identifying the most important information in the text that focuses their attention more on larger chunks of text, such as paragraphs which eventually help them regulate the reading process (Bimmel, 1999). Research in the field of strategies has proposed that poor readers are not strategic due to the assumption that they use fewer and less complex strategies and use them in a maladaptive way (Botsas & Padeliadu, 2001). On the contrary, good readers possess a well developed repertoire of strategies that along, with their adaptive way of use, helps them to successfully comprehend texts (Botsas & Padeliadu, 2003). According to O`Malley and Chamot (1995, p.182-183), instructors exercise the reading comprehension strategies to encourage students to use inference in order to make logical guesses from context, elaborate prior knowledge, transfer cognates from the first language and use deduction, which lead to the application of grammar rules. Luke (2000) casts reading as a set of practices dependent on four reader resources which are code breaking, participating in text, using the text for one’s own purposes, and analysing or critiquing the text5 Luke’s view of reading reflects the dialogic metaphor of readers as both listeners and responders. The reading process has been described as dynamic in that the reader’s variables such as background knowledge, aptitude, and memory constraints interact with text variables; e.g. text structure, length, lexical and linguistic complexity, as readers attempt to construct a mental representation or comprehend a text (Leeser, 2007) The relationship between self-regulated learning and reading comprehension strategies According to Guthrie, Schafer, Wang, and AZerbach (1995), reading comprehension is likely to be facilitated by deliberate use of different strategies and this will add further to the explanation of children’s frequency and amount of reading. These metacognitive strategies seem to be fundamental for the understanding of texts (Guthrie et al., 1995) and they are likely to predict achievement more accurately than cognitive strategies (Zimmerman, 1994). To understand the 180 Self Regulated Learning strategies..... meaning of a text the students need to monitor their comprehension (Pressley & Ghatala, 1990). As such, self-regulated learning is important for reading ability and achievement (Folkesson & Swalander, 2007). The concept of self-regulated learning has been brought up as a synthesis between research on how learning functions – focusing on the learner’s cognitive and motivational processes (e.g., Boekaerts, 1999; Pintrich, 1999), and research on how instruction functions— focusing on the interaction between learner and instructor in a social environment (e.g., Zimmerman, 1989; Schunk, 2001). Despite the lack of a simple definition of SRL, Artelt, Baumert, Julius-McElvany, and Peschar (2003) argue that some measurable characteristics of students are associated with a tendency to regulate learning, as well as with greater performance. These three main aspects of RL are: (a) academic self-concept, (b) motivation, and (c) learning strategies. Hence, this is a biased view of self-regulated learning. So to speak, it is centred on some positive characteristics that put students in a better position to regulate their learning (Artelt et al., 2003). Subsequently, insights into the possible effects of self regulated learning strategies on reading comprehension are a little absent, especially in the Saudi Arabian context. In an effort to contribute to the line of research on how selfregulated learning strategies may affect the interplay of motivation and cognition, this study explores the influence of students’ administration of self-regulated learning strategies on students’ reading comprehension5 Self regulated learning and achievement The effectiveness of self-regulated learning for academic achievement is a key area of research that cannot be ignored (e.g., Zimmerman, 1990; Zimmerman & Bandura, 1994; Winne, 1995; Zimmerman & Martinez-Pons, 1988; VanZile-Tamsen & Livingston, 1999; Chung, 2000; Paris & Paris, 2001; Dignath, Buettner, & Langfeld, 2008; Matuga, 2009), as well as on learning motivation (Pintrich, 1999). Based on a study by Zimmerman and Martinez-Pons (1986) that bears on the issue of the relationship between learning strategies and reading achievement, it was found that high achievement students reported using significantly more strategies than the lowachieving students. Zimmerman and Pons concluded that self- regulated learning scores were shown to be valid predictors of achievement, and confirmed that selfregulated learning strategies used have a meaningful relationship with learning outcomes in reading and math. Muis & Franco (2009) reported that the types of learning strategies that students self-reportedly used in their educational psychology course predicted their final grades. Specifically, metacognitive self-regulation, elaboration, critical thinking, and rehearsal strategies positively predicted achievement. The results of Zimmerman and Martinez-Pons (1988) also indicated that students who have trouble self-regulating, their academic studying achieve poorly in school. Reading comprehension and gender differences Several studies show that gender is a significant factor when attempting to explain reading comprehension. However the results of these studies have until been somewhat inconsistent (Hay, Ashman, & Van Kraayenoord, 1998; Yongqi, 2002). Other studies (e.g., Skaalvik & Rankin, 1990; Wagemaker, 1996: Pae, 2004; O'Reilly & McNamara, 2007) have found that girls achieve higher reading comprehension scores, whereas some studies have failed to show gender differences (e.g. Rowe, 1991). Gender differences revealed that girls read better on narrative and expository texts, had a more positive reading attitude, and more positive verbal self-concept (Swalander & Taube, 2007). On the other hand, other findings suggest that males and females perform differently on different items of reading comprehension Yazdanpanah (2007). For example, Yazdanpanah reported that females scored higher on identifying main idea, guessing meaning from context, and text coherence questions. Conversely, males outperformed females in reading for specific information, identifying referential information, and matching titles with paragraph. However, gender affected item performance in only two cases: guessing 181 International Journal of Asian Social Science, 2(2), pp.178-201 meaning from context, and text coherence in favour of the females (Yazdanpanah, 2007). Self-regulated learning strategies and gender differences A student characteristic that has received scant attention in L2 strategy research is differential strategy use by males and females. In their interview of gender differences in language learning strategy use, Oxford and her associates found only four studies in which this question was addressed (Oxford, Nyikos, and Ehrman, 1988). Three were strategy identification studies, and all showed differences in strategy use favouring women. The other study provided strategy training and mixed results, favouring men for some skills tested and women for others (O`Malley & Chamot, 1995, p.164). Recently, Reeves & Stich (2010) observed that there are no differences between males and females in SLR strategies (i.e. gender was not observed). There was no significant difference in the SRL strategy use of male and female. Statement of the problem The theoretical foundation of the current study has established that self regulated learning strategies may be a potential determinant as predictors of reading comprehension. Yet little is known about the relationships between the variables of the study related to EFL students at the university level and how far self regulated learning is a practical predictor of reading comprehension. Students with high SRL skills do better than those who lack these skills (Azevedo, 2005; Pressley & Ghatala, 1990; Pressley & Harris, 2006; White & Frederiksen, 2005). Unfortunately, previous studies have also shown that the majority of students are poor regulators of their learning (e.g. Paris & Paris, 2001). These findings have triggered the urge to investigate how SRL skills can be taught and prompted in learning environments. While research has shed some light on the issue, it is unclear as to which specific SRL processes best position students to capitalise on. Several researchers have investigated issues related to self regulated learning strategies (e.g., Onstenk, 1998; Zimmerman & Schunk, 1989; Boekaerts, 1999; Pintrich, 2000; Stallworth-Clark, Cochran, Nolen, Tuggle, & Scott, 2000; Rozendaal, Minnaert, & Boekaerts, 2001; Boekaerts, 1996; Boekaerts & Corno, 2005; Zimmerman & Schunk, 2008), and others have examined reading comprehension in different contexts in which English is taught as a second language/foreign language; e.g. Fecteau, (1999); Nassaji (2003); Taguchi, Gorsuch & Sasamoto (2006). However, a few studies have examined the relationship between self regulated learning and its effect on reading comprehension, especially in the Arab context. Having been EFL teachers for many years, the reserahcers have observed that some students in the English Dept. are poor readers and have unidentified goals toward learning, in general, and toward reading comprehension in particular. Accordingly, this study investigates the effects of self regulated learning strategies on reading comprehension among Saudi EFL learners at the university level in an attempt to canvass related issues through answering the following set of questions: 1. 2. 3. 4. Are there any relationships between self regulated learning strategies and reading comprehension? Are there any differences in reading comprehension and SRL between males and females? Can we predict reading comprehension through self regulated learning strategies? Are there any differences among the students in self regulated learning strategies and reading comprehension according to their levels? Method Study Sample The participants of this multi-level study included 248 (112 males and 136 females) undergraduates across the 2nd, 4th, 6th, and 8th levels majoring in English at a Saudi Arabian University. Amongst those participants, 58 were at second academic level (23 males & 35 females), 60 were at forth academic level (29 males & 31 females), 76 were at sixth academic level students (29 males & 47 females), and 54 were at eighth 182 Self Regulated Learning strategies..... academic level (31 males & 23 females). The participants ranged in age between 18 and 29 years with a mean of 21.383 (SD = 1.515). It was thus assumed that the participants of this study would provide a homogeneous sample in terms of their cultural environment and instructional input. Study Instruments Self regulated learning Questionnaire A questionnaire that assessed students` self regulated learning was administered in this study to suit the Saudi context based on Pintrich, Smith, Garcia & Mckeachie (1993) and other similar studies that urged for the adaptive use of this questionnaire in different contexts. The questionnaire designed was based on a 5-point Likert-scale that ranged from 1 indicating that the statement is very true of me through 5 indicating that the statement is not at all true of me. The Questionnaire included three dimensions: (1) cognitive strategies, (2) metacognitive strategies, and (3) different learning resources. The development of the questionnaire used in this study was guided by two points: (1) the need for a context-sensitive instrument; i.e. one which would tap self regulated language learning strategies most relevant to the learning of English in Saudi Arabia; and (2) the value of several stages of outside review of the questionnaire items and instructions. Factor analyses: Self regulated learning strategies Based on the principal-component analysis, eleven-factor solution was obtained for the scores in the ‘‘Self regulated learning strategies’’ data5 The eleven extracted factors accounted below. Table-1 Factor analyses: Self regulated learning strategies The eleven extracted factors accounted for 58.599% of the total variance. Equamax with Kaiser Normalization was then used. Table 1 presents a summary of the results of the factor analysis of the ‘‘self regulated learning strategies’’ data5 The factor loadings of each item in this section on the eleven rotated factors and means, and standard deviations of the items that loaded are provided in Appendix A. The first factor obtained high loadings from items such as ‘‘If the information that is presented in any academic course is not satisfactory, I look up extra information in the library,’’ so, it seems to represent a dimension reflecting students` seeking information that helps the students to understand well their courses. The second factor obtained high loadings from items such as ‘‘when I succeed in doing any task, I reward myself,’’5 Therefore, this factor seems to represent a dimension reflecting students` self reward for themselves when doing something good. For factor three the high loadings obtained from items such as" I make sure that the place where I study is convenient". Therefore it seems to represent a dimension reflecting students` environmental control. The forth factor got the high loadings from items such as" I work together with my friends to achieve a better understanding for what we are studying", hence it reflects the importance of peer learning for the students` achievement. For factor five the high loadings obtained from items such as " I summarize reading course in form of questions and answers and during revision I try answer questions first", therefore it seems to represent a dimension reflecting students` self evaluation. For factor six the high loadings gained from items such as "When the lecturer mentions a new concept, I repeat it many times not to forget it ` so, it seems obviously to represent a dimension reflecting students` rehearsal strategy for remembering new information. For factor seven the high loadings obtained from items such as "When I get bored with studying, I change the place of studying", therefore this factor seems to represent a dimension reflecting students` motivational environmental control. For factor eight the high loadings gained from items such as "When I feel that I do not want to study, I remind myself by the importance of doing more effort to gain new information that I did not know before." Thus, this factor seems to generally represent a dimension reflecting students’ importance of self talk about efficiency. The ninth factor loaded highly on 183 International Journal of Asian Social Science, 2(2), pp.178-201 items such as" I encourage myself by thinking about achieving high scores to impress the others" Thus, this factor obviously reflects a dimension representing the students’ importance of self talk about performance. The tenth factor loaded highly on items such as" Before studying I set specific times breaks". It is obvious that this factor represents a dimension that reflects the students` managing of their time. Finally, the item that loaded highly on the eleventh factor is "I make clarified summaries to help me understand the difficult topics". It is obviously this factor represents a dimension that reflects students` elaboration. Item validity and internal consistency for Self regulated learning Questionnaire The corrected item-total correlations ranged from 0.260 to 0.571 (p < 0.01), suggesting adequate item validity. Correlation for item subscales ranged as follows: Subscale 1, from 0.714 to 0.863 (p < 0.01), Subscale 2 from 0.431 to 0.798 (p < 0.01), Subscale 3 from 0.258 to 0.633 (p < 0.01), Subscale 4 from 0.430 to 0.787 (p < 0.01), Subscale 5 from 0.305 to 0.676 (p < 0.01), Subscale 6 from 0.265 to 0.714 (p < 0.01), Subscale 7 from 0.208 to 0.603 (p < 0.01), Subscale 8 from 0.252 to 0.702 (p < 0.01), Subscale 9 from 0.242 to 0.738 (p < 0.01), Subscale 10 from 0.353 to 0.765 (p < 0.01), and Subscale 11 from 0.216 to 0.671 (p < 0.01). All of these figures suggest adequate item validity. The internal consistency was high for the total scale (α =0590)5 The mean Total Score was 151.201 (S.D. = 22.045). The means for Subscale 1(M= 115224, S5D5 = 45717, α = 0581) and for Subscale 2 (M= 13.915, S.D. = 2.359, α =0529), for Subscale 3 (M= 1.5669, S5D5 = 35323, α =0527) and for Subscale 4 (M= 10.8.4, S5D = 75824, α =0524), for Subscale . (M= 145070, S5D = 35489, α =0523), for Subscale 6 (M= 145.78, S5D = 3518., α =056.), for Subscale 2 (M= 145790, S5D = 35.47, α =0.66), for Subscale 8 (M= 19.141. S.D = 35843, α =0524), for Subscale 9 (M= 1.564., S.D = 35013, α =0521), for Subscale 10 (M= 105604, S5D = 75200, α =0564), and for Subscale 11 (M= 1052.8, S5D = 753.9, α =0.54). Table 2: Dimension-total correlations between dimensions and total score for SRL questionnaire subscales There are positive correlations among SRL dimensions and total score for 11 subscales ranging from (0.503– 0.665) indicating that subscales of the SRL Questionnaire display high internal consistency in measuring students' SRL strategies. See Table 22 in Appendix B Reading comprehension Test Three reading comprehension passages with 21 multiple choice questions constituted the instructional materials for the intervention. They were selected from IGCSE English as Second Language (Lucantoni, 1996). These passages included three to four paragraphs in length and ranged from easy to moderate in difficulty. The students were instructed to answer the questions that followed each passage. The internal consistency reliability split half for reading comprehension Test is 0.7 for 80-person university sample. Reading total score validity with GPA is 0.367. Results Overview of results The present study results are overviewed according to factors influencing SRL strategies (See Appendix A). Following that, descriptive data for Saudi students` Self Regulated Learning Strategies and Reading Comprehension Test according to their gender and their academic levels were analysed and presented (See Table 3 in Appendix B). Means and standard deviations are displayed for the composite of the two variables: Self Regulated Learning strategies and for Reading Comprehension Test total score. The results are thematically presented as follows: Level and gender-based differences, correlations between SRL strategies and reading comprehension, and a summary of the model. 184 Self Regulated Learning strategies..... Level and gender- based differences in SRL strategies Data analysis provides descriptive statistics for Saudi students` self regulated learning strategies across their academic levels. Means and standard deviations for the composite of the four academic levels (2, 4, 6, 8) were (M=262.5088, SD = 38.8712), (M=267.1833, SD =33.7988), (M=258.5921, SD =36.8565), and (M=247.9444, SD=42.8589), for the total was (M=259.2551, SD =38.3906), respectively. For reading comprehension test according to their academic levels, means and standard deviations for the composite of the four levels (2, 4, 6, 8) were (M=9.6140, SD = 3.9223), (M=9.0333, SD =3.0251), (M=10.8289, SD =3.3522), and (M=9.5741, SD=3.1955), for the total was (M=9.8381, SD =3.4367) respectively as shown in Appendix B. In Table 4 specifically, MANOVA test is used to reveal gender and level differences in Self Regulated Learning Strategies subscales and Reading Comprehension Test Distinguishing the students at different academic levels, results reveal that there are differences between students` academic levels in the use of self regulated learning strategies, F( 3, 244)= 3.241, p < 0.05). With an estimated η7= 05 50395 In addition, there are differences among students in reading comprehension according to their academic levels F (3, 244) = 352.0, p < 050.)5 With an estimated η7= 05 .045. To determine the differences between the students` levels in reading comprehension, Scheffe Test was run indicating there are differences between level 4 (M= 9.033, SD=3.025) and level 6 (M=10.829, SD =3.352) in favour of level 6. To determine the differences between the student levels in SRL strategies, Scheffe Test was run indicating there are differences between level 4 (M= 157.416, SD=20.427) and level 8 (M=143.833, SD =23.364) in favour of level 4. To examine gender differences in the aspects of self regulated learning strategies F ( 3, 244)= 30.303, p < 0.01) and reading comprehension test, F( 3, 244)= 26.88, p < 0.01) was run using. Results show that there are differences in self regulated learning strategies in favour of females in which males scored M=143.261, SD=20.888 and females scored M=157.889, SD=20.757. However, there are differences between males and females in the favour of males in the reading comprehension test in which males scored M=10.828, SD=3.233 and females scored M=9.029, SD=3.397. Further computational processes were used to explore potential relationships between SRL strategies and reading comprehension. Based on Pearson correlation, there are relationships between self regulated learning strategies subdimensions and reading comprehension. Entered multiple regression analysis was then performed to predict reading comprehension from self regulated learning strategies. See Table 5 in Appendix B. Model Summary Data analysis reports that the statistically significant predictors of the reading comprehension were SRL strategies subdimensions. The results also show that SRL strategies explain 12.8 per cent of the variance in reading comprehension, (F (11,233) = 3.106, p< 0.001) as shown in Error! Reference source not found. below. This result is consistent with many results of Zimmerman and Martinez -Pons (1986) that SRL scores were shown to be valid predictors of achievement. Multiple regression tests were employed as the main analysis method. Entered multiple regression analysis was carried out with the data to see which aspects of SRL were significant in predicting reading comprehension. Table 6 below indicates that the contribution of some of self regulated learning strategies (rehearsal strategy, Self talk about efficiency and Elaboration) is significant on the students` reading comprehension. Discussion The present study has revealed several findings which can contribute to the body of research in the area of SRL, specifically in relation to reading comprehension in EFL learning. These findings can be discussed in three main perspectives: Gender differences in SRL and 185 International Journal of Asian Social Science, 2(2), pp.178-201 reading comprehension, SRL and reading comprehension across academic levels, and SRL strategies as predictors of reading comprehension in EFL learning. Gender differences between SRL and reading comprehension To examine gender differences in the aspects of self regulated learning strategies F( 3, 244)= 30.303, p < 0.01) and reading comprehension test, F( 3, 244)= 26.88, p < 0.01) was run using. Results show that there are differences in self regulated learning strategies in favour of females in which males scored M=143.261, SD=20.888 and females scored M=157.889, SD=20.757. However, there are differences between males and females in favour of males in the reading comprehension test in which males scored M=10.828, SD=3.233 and females scored M=9.029, SD=3.397. The findings of the current study confirm that there are differences in the use of SRL strategies between males and females. Females outscore males in the use of SRL strategies in all subscales. This finding is consistent with the results of several previous studies that detected differences in strategy use to the advantage of the female learners (Law, Chan & Sachs, 2008). However, reading comprehension test results reported that there are differences between males and females in the favour of males. While this finding is partially consistent with the finding of Yazdanpanah, (2007), it suggests that males outperform females in reading on different items of reading comprehension, such as specific information, identifying referential information, and matching titles with paragraph. On the other hand, other previous studies found that girls achieved higher reading comprehension scores (e.g., Skaalvik & Rankin, 1990; Wagemaker, 1996; Swalander & Taube, 2007). One possible explanation for the superiority of the male students in this study is that males and females may not have been equally matched in language ability. Although they were at the same instruction level, the male students seem to have been more proficient readers than their female counterparts. Language ability is an important factor that affects comprehension (Martino and Hoffman, 2002; Norris and Hoffman, 2002; Ridgway, 1997). It seems that they have enough linguistic knowledge to comprehend the reading passages without great difficulty. This possibility raises the question of the quality of instruction in the girls’ department5 It is suggested here that female departments need to reassess their classroom teaching and practices and to focus on reading activities to promote a higher level of reading skills. The implication drawn here is that students in general, and female students in particular, should be encouraged to read more informative texts, as these types of texts are very important for academic and professional activities. SRL strategies and reading comprehension across academic levels The findings of the current research show that there are differences between students in the use of SRL strategies according to their academic levels, F( 3, 244)= 3.241, p < 0.05). There are also differences among students in reading comprehension according to their academic levels F (3, 244) = 3.493, p < 0.05). These differences were detected between level 4 (M= 9.033, SD=3.025) and level 6 (M=10.828, SD =3.352) in favour of level 6. This might be explained in terms of the students’ experience and the development of their use of SRL strategies in reading comprehension as they progress in their academic levels. Though at different age levels, this result is contradicts the results of Law et al. (2008) which reported that grade 5 children displayed more self-regulated strategies than grade 6 children. EFL learners` SRL strategies as predictors of reading comprehension One of the main findings of this study is that some of the SRL strategies sub-scales were statistically significant predictors of the students` reading comprehension. This finding comes in line with the results of Zimmerman and Martinez -Pons (1986) in which SRL scores were shown to be valid predictors of achievement. It also aligns with results of several studies that assumed that academic 186 Self Regulated Learning strategies..... achievement is mediated by the use of SRL strategies such as organizing, goal-setting, planning, self-evaluating, information seeking, record keeping, self-reflecting, selfmonitoring, and reviewing (e.g. Boekaerts & Corno, 2005; Winne, 2005; Zimmerman & Martinez-Pons, 1990). On the other hand, this may not be consistent with other study findings in which SRL strategies were generally deemed as inaccurate predictors of academic achievements. (Rotgans, & Henk, 2009; Wang, 2011) It is assumed that readers must use selfregulated strategies to fully employ their ability to interpret or make something of texts. Therefore, developing such selfregulated skill holds benefits for many educational tasks, not the least of which is increased test scores (Mason, et al., 2006; Pintrich & DeGroot, 1990). As such, this finding of measuring the use of SRL strategies may tentatively be adapted to predict the EFL learners’ reading comprehension. This expected to assist the EFL instructors’ endeavour to diagnose their learners’ deficiencies in reading, and perhaps attempt to direct their students to use better SRL strategies. Thus, the importance of selfregulated learning strategies to academic achievement has been fairly well established (Kuo, 2010). Conclusion Findings of the present study were mainly consistent with most of the other previous studies conducted in other contexts. The findings could be used as evidence of the importance of SRL strategies in the EFL learning process. Based on that, further efforts need to be exerted to identify and help students, especially those with poor reading comprehension. This can be done by appropriate the use of SRL strategies as a way of analysing their needs and diagnosing their problematic issues in reading comprehension. Another relevant key finding is that SRL strategies can be a demanding need for poor readers in the light of the significant relationship between SRL strategies and reading comprehension which were synthesized in this study. The results of the present study clearly indicate that some of the SRL strategies are significant predictors of reading comprehension, such as rehearsal strategy, self talk about efficiency and elaboration. This study also explored gender differences in reading comprehension. The male students performed better than their female counterparts in their comprehension of reading passages. These results suggest that language educators should take into consideration the differences between the two genders and promote equal learning opportunities in order to adjust the apparent differences between female and male students. Although the results were based on a large number of students at Taif university (N= 248), they need to be treated with caution. A first limitation pertains to the generalisability of the findings in this study to Saudi students at a college level. A second limitation is about using more than one predictor of reading comprehension was used in order to give more insight into gender differences and to strengthen the results by gathering evidence from more than one setting. 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San Diego, CA: Academic Press. 190 Self Regulated Learning strategies..... 191 Online Publication Date: 5 February 2012 Publisher: Asian Economic and Social Society Appendix A Factor analyses: Self regulated learning strategies Factor 1 No. Items 60 I look for any information in the library or in the internet to help me to understand the ambiguous academic topics. 61 If the information that presented in any academic course is not satisfied, so I look Mean 3.2200 SD 1.1532 Loading .619 2.9000 1.3746 .790 2.7600 1.4222 .754 63 I ask the teacher about useful references to help me understand the courses. 3.0600 1.2785 .682 23 When I read any subject and finish it, I reward myself by taking a break or doing 3.5150 1.2680 .782 24 When I succeed in doing any task, I reward myself. 3.5600 1.1589 .847 25 I reward myself when I continue in reading a specific subject and understanding it 3.2000 1.2278 .662 3.6100 1.1725 .621 47 I study in a quiet place free of distracters in order to concentrate. 4.2400 .9784 .559 48 I have a favorite place to study. 3.9700 1.1942 .753 49 I make sure that the place of studying is convenient. 3.9600 1.0314 .827 50 I arrange the place where I study to help me to achieve better. 3.6500 1.2020 .671 56 When we are asked to do a task, I collaborate with my friends to cover all the sides 3.7900 1.0203 .679 up extra information in the library. 62 I fix specific times for the library and I try to read more in order to develop my academic and professional efficiencies. Factor 2 any enjoyable activity. well even if I feel bored. 26 I make a deal with myself: if I do the required task in a good way and in a c t o r Factor 3 suitable time, I will do some enjoyable things. Self Regulated Learning strategies..... of the topic. 57 I work together with friends to achieve better understanding for what we are studying. 58 I prefer conversation and discussion with my friends related to the reading course. 74 To prepare for the final examinations, I predict exam questions and attempt to 3.9500 .9758 .735 3.3500 3.1500 1.1152 1.4062 .694 .643 4.2400 1.0333 .492 3.7100 1.1100 .759 3.5550 1.1849 .659 1 I repeat the new information many times to memorize it. 3.3550 1.2192 .703 2 When the lecturer mentions a new concept, I repeat it many times to not forget it. 3.3450 1.2545 .724 3 When I read any topic, I repeat it twice in a loud voice. 3.8150 1.1651 .437 4 When I prepare for the examination in the reading course, I try to repeat the 3.9400 1.0304 .485 3.9550 .9367 .550 28 When I get bored with studying, I change the place of studying. 3.9000 1.0075 .720 29 When I feel bored with studying, I stand or walk in the place during the studying. 4.1250 1.0072 .702 30 When I get bored with studying, I try to change my desk that I use for studying. 3.5000 1.2400 .616 Factor 5 answer them. 75 When I am studying, I stop every now and then to predict questions and to try to think about their answers in my mind. 76 I summarize reading course in form of questions and answers and during revision I try answer questions first. 77 When I am reading, I form some questions and I try to answer them at the end of Factor 6 my studying session to make sure that I understood the passage. information of the course more times. Factor 7 27 I change the way I sit during my studying when I have no desire to complete what I am doing. 193 International Journal of Asian Social Science, 2(2), pp.178-201 31 When I feel bored, I convince myself to continue to understand the subjects and 3.6800 1.1198 .606 3.7150 1.1621 .754 3.4500 1.2227 .562 34 I try to convince myself that I have good abilities. 4.2400 .9784 .373 35 When I do not understand any academic topics, I do not give up quickly and talk 3.9700 1.1942 .343 37 I encourage myself by thinking about achieving high scores to impress the others. 3.9600 1.0314 .776 38 When I lose the desire to complete the required tasks, I remind myself with the 3.6500 1.2020 .740 3.2850 1.1920 .392 3.6250 1.1667 .362 71 I do the required tasks in time and I do not put them off. 3.7450 1.1386 .484 72 Before studying I set specific times breaks. 3.9350 1.1346 .673 develop my academic efficiencies. Factor 8 32 When I feel that I do not want to study, I remind myself by the importance of doing more effort to gain new information that I did not know before. 33 When I have no desire to study, I try to convince myself that is necessary to complete what I am doing to achieve understanding and perfection. Factor 9 myself to try again and again. consequences related to my score in the subject. 39 When I encounter difficulties to complete the required task, I try to convince myself to complete because of its importance. 40 40. When my attention is distracted and gets busy away from studying, myself Factor 10 argues me to return to study to achieve success. 73 I organize my time and distribute it according to the nature of the different 3.3850 1.1591 .596 3.7450 1.1346 .760 c t o r subjects. 5 I make clarified summaries to help to me to understand the difficult topics. 194 Self Regulated Learning strategies..... 6 I try to relate between the information in the reading course and similar 3.9350 1.1591 .361 3.6650 1.0670 .532 information in other courses. 7 When I study any unclear reading topic, I do some modifications and additions to make it easy to understand. Appendix B Table-1 Factor analyses: Self regulated learning strategies Factor Description Eigen value % of variance Cumulative % 1 Seeking Information 2.936 6.673 6.673 2 Self reward 2.742 6.233 12.906 3 Environmental control 2.468 5.609 18.515 4 Peer learning 2.396 5.446 23.961 5 Self evaluation 2.391 5.434 29.395 6 Rehearsal strategy 2.336 5.310 34.705 7 Motivational Environmental control 2.268 5.154 39.858 8 Self talk about efficiency 2.243 5.099 44.957 9 Self talk about performance 2.113 4.802 49.759 10 Time management 2.057 4.676 54.435 11 Elaboration 1.832 4.164 58.599 Table 2: Dimension-total correlations between dimensions and total score for SRL questionnaire subscales Sub factors Factor1 Factor2 Factor 3 Factor 4 Factor 5 Factor 6 Factor 7 Factor 8 195 International Journal of Asian Social Science, 2(2), pp.178-201 Correlations Sub factors Correlations 0.634 Factor 9 0.495 0.587 Factor10 0.660 0.484 0. 610 0.667 0.665 0.579 0.625 Factor11 0.519 Table 3: Descriptive data for Saudi students` Self Regulated Learning Strategies and Reading Comprehension Test according to their gender and their academic levels N Level Gender Mean SD Total of reading comprehension 22 Male 12.5000 3.7257 35 Female 7.8000 2.8263 57 Total 9.6140 3.9223 Male 11.0345 2.4854 31 Female 7.1613 2.1771 60 Total 9.0333 3.0251 Male 10.7586 3.4086 47 Female 10.8723 3.3532 76 Total 10.8289 3.3522 male 9.5161 2.8504 29 29 31 2.00 4.00 6.00 8.00 196 Self Regulated Learning strategies..... 23 female 9.6522 3.6756 54 Total 9.5741 3.1955 male 10.8288 3.2330 136 female 9.0294 3.3970 247 Total 9.8381 3.4367 male 141.7727 22.1057 35 female 158.1143 20.4490 57 Total 151.8070 22.3953 male 151.9310 20.0552 31 female 162.5484 19.7211 60 Total 157.4167 20.4270 male 144.7241 17.5171 47 female 155.5957 21.6791 76 Total 151.4474 20.7624 male 134.8387 21.1268 23 female 155.9565 20.9469 54 Total 143.8333 23.3640 male 143.2613 20.8883 136 female 157.8897 20.7570 247 Total 151.3158 22.0162 111 Total of SRL strategies 22 29 29 31 111 Total 2.00 4.00 6.00 8.00 Total Table-4 MANOVA for gender and level differences in Self Regulated Learning Strategies subscales and Reading Comprehension Test 197 International Journal of Asian Social Science, 2(2), pp.178-201 Source Dependent Variable Type III Sum of Df Mean Square F Sig. Eta Squared Squares Intercept Level Gender Level * Gender Error Total Corrected Total Reading comprehension 23094.269 1 23094.269 2440.367 .000 .911 Total score of SRL 5337444.148 1 5337444.148 12672.447 .000 .981 Reading comprehension 106.457 3 35.486 3.750 .012 .045 Total score of SRL 4095.598 3 1365.199 3.241 .023 .039 Reading comprehension 254.458 1 254.458 26.889 .000 .101 Total score of SRL 12763.072 1 12763.072 30.303 .000 .113 Reading comprehension 291.383 3 97.128 10.263 .000 .114 Total score of SRL 1084.030 3 361.343 .858 .464 .011 Reading comprehension 2261.763 239 9.463 Total score of SRL 100663.208 239 421.185 Reading comprehension 26812.000 247 Total score of SRL 5774667.000 247 Reading comprehension 2905.522 246 Total score of SRL 119239.368 246 Table -5 Pearson correlation between SRL strategies sub- dimensions and reading comprehension 198 Self Regulated Learning strategies..... R.C Reading SRF1 SRF2 SRF3 SRF4 SRF5 SRF6 SRF7 SRF8 SRF9 SRF10 SRF11 1.000 comprehension SRL F1 -.021 1.000 SRL F2 -.033 .370** 1.000 SRL F3 .156* .183** .146* 1.000 SRL F4 .108 .254** .268** .284 SRL F5 -.053 .377** .323** .237 .398** 1.000 SRL F6 .222** .396** .231** .313 .384** .410** 1.000 SRL F7 .021 .322** .289** .178 .310** .318** .299** 1.000 SRL F8 .149* .246** .314** .226 .320** .301** .323** .426** 1.000 SRL F9 .067 .126* .206** .291 .208** .258** .322** .237** .452** 1.000 SRL F10 .009 .501** .386** .282 .328** .466** .371** .313** .324** .116 1.000 . SRL F11 .180** .271** .217** .255 .314** .327** .416** .253** .306** .267** .285** 1.000 . 1.000 Note: SRL refer to Self regulated Learning strategies, R.C refer to Reading comprehension Table-6 The partial correlation of SRL strategies sub- dimensions and reading comprehension 199 International Journal of Asian Social Science, 2(2), pp.178-201 Model R R2 Adjusted R2 Std. Error 1 0.358 0.128 0.087 11.552 Table -7 Multiple Regression Analysis (SRL strategies sub-dimensions and reading comprehension) Standardized SRL sub-scales Unstandardized Coefficients Coefficients Sig. t B Std. Error Beta (Constant) 65.78 5.558 Seeking Information -.247 712 -.087 -1.140 .255 Self reward .- 181 .220 -.058 -.823 .411 Environmental .372 .245 .103 15.70 .130 Peer learning .250 .303 .049 .679 .498 Self evaluation -.620 .263 -.179 -2.356 .019 Rehearsal Strategy .910 .291 .241 3.122 .002 Motivational -.175 .244 -.051 -.716 .475 .472 .241 .151 1.958 .051 11.836 .000 control Environmental Control Self talk about 200 Self Regulated Learning strategies..... Efficiency Self talk about -.264 .291 -.066 -.909 .364 Time Management -.171 .355 -.038 -.482 .630 Elaboration .660 .364 .128 1.811 .071 Performance 201