THE EFFECT OF TEACHING IRAQI EFL STUDENTS METACOGNITIVE LEARNING STRATEGIES ON THEIR ACHIEVEMENT IN READING COMPREHENSION

The present study aims to investigate the effect of teaching Iraqi EFL students metacognitive learning strategies on their achievement in reading Understanding. To accomplish the analysis goal , The next two are the The idea is postulatedThere is no statistically meaningful variation in the mean difference between score From the reading comprehension of the experimental group and that of the control. The The latest research is limited to the fifth-grade female students / scientific branch in the Baghdad girls' preparatory and secondary schools City for During the school year 2008-2009. It is also limited he use of Marzano‟s 2001 taxonomy. The data statistically analyzed by Utilizing the t-test formula Twoindependent samples. It is detected out That a statistically relevant difference exists between the groups in favor Experimental, of the one in reading comprehension; i.e. the null hypothesis is rejected. It is concluded that the Instructional methods suggested, i.e. metacognitive Learning strategies have proven to be a beneficial technique for teaching that improves students‟ ability and performance in reading comprehension. In the light of the study results, several useful recommendations concerning EFL learners, instructors, and syllabus designers were presented and several pedagogical suggestions for further research were stated.

different tasks of comprehension, text structures and one's own. strength and weakness as a reader and Student)as well as 'Controlling' and "regulation" Of one 's actions while reading for different purposes are different aspects of metacognition.
Hence, the present study dedicates itself to the scientific and empirical investigation of the effect of teaching MLS on the achievement of Iraqi secondary school students in RC.

Aim of the Study:
The present study aims at empirically investigating the effect of Teaching EFL students in Iraq MLS On their successes in RC.

The Research hypothesis :
It is hypothesised that there is no statistically significant difference between the mean score of the experimental group's RC (which MLS teaches RC) and the control group (which historically teaches RC)

The Study's Limits :
For the academic year 2008-2009, the population of this study is limited to the Fifth-grade female student/scientific branch in the girls' preparatory and secondary schools in Baghdad District.

Strategies for Language Learning:
Language learning strategies (LLS) refer to the conscious and semi-conscious thoughts and actions used by learners with the basic purpose of enhancing their comprehension and understanding of a target language. (Schmitt, 2002:178). About Richards and Renandya (2002:124) According to Schmitt's above argument, LLS is "unique acts, habits, moves, or strategies used by students to enhance their success in the development of second language abilities." The internalisation, storage, rehabilitation, or use of the new language can be facilitated by these techniques. They are instruments for the self-directed engagement required to build the capacity to communicate.
Thus, LLS can be linked to control, goal-directedness, autonomy , and selfefficacy Characteristics. They assist learners to become more independent.
Autonomy requires the conscious regulation of the learning processes of one (Carter and Nunan, 2001:166) The evidence provided by Oxford (as cited in Celce-Murcia,2002:359) Synthesizing LLS study from different parts of the globe shows two main variables influencing language learning; " i. e., one"s general approach to learning a language; and strategies, the specific behaviors or thoughts learners use to enhance their language learning". The use of these strategies influences the student"s ability in a particular instructional framework.

Classifications of Learning Strategies:
The following is a survey of some of the major classification schemes proposed by scholars in the field:

Rubin (1981):
Based on fairly extensive data collection in varied settings, Rubin (1981 as cited in O"Malley andChamot,1990:3) A classification scheme that classifies LS under two primary groupings and several subgroups is proposed. These categories are as follows: 1) Higher-order executive skills are metacognitive techniques that may include organising, tracking and assessing the performance of a learning task. (Brown, 1987 as cited in O"Malley andChamot,1990:44). Metacognitive techniques (e.g., defining the expectations and needs of one's learning style, preparing for a second language task, collecting and arranging materials, arranging a study space and a schedule, tracking errors, assessing task performance, and assessing the progress of any form of LS) are used to control the overall learning process (Celce-Murcia,2001:364).
2) Cognitive strategies are more limited to specific learning tasks and involve more manipulation of the learning material itself (Brown, 2002:124 (Larsen-Freeman, 2000:164). In other words, they serve to regulate emotions, attitudes, and motivation (Richards and Renandya, 2002: 121).

Skehan (1989):
To distinguish between behavioural and mental or cognitive, some research has subdivided LS. Skehan (1989) suggests that LS spans three large domains: 1) those which decide the participation of the learner in the learning process (these are behavioural strategies: finding opportunities for learning, setting aside periodic periods of practise, etc.); 2) those that allow the second language data to be filtered and organised by the learner (these are cognitive strategies: looking for patterns, recognising and rehearsing second language patterns mentally, etc.); and 3) those that allow the learner to track his or her progress (these AR metacognitive strategies: output verification against that of native speakers). (Johnson and Johnson,1999:196)

Oxford (1990):
The fourth classification of LS is suggested by Oxford who distinguishes direct strategies (which engage the second language directly) and indirect strategies (where the learner seeks out situations which will enable him or her to engage with the second language indirectly) (Johnson and Johnson, 1999:196-197). The classification of Oxford has six strategy groups, three under the heading of 'direct' and three under 'indirect'. These are: a) Direct strategies "working with the language itself" 1) memory techniques to recall and retrieve new data. 2) cognitive techniques for language comprehension and development.
3)In terms of information differences, reimbursement mechanisms for using the language. (b) Indirect 'strategies for general learning management' 1) metacognitive techniques to organise the process of learning.
3) interactive techniques to learn from others.  (Johnson, 2001:154) Oxford indicates that substantial evidence shows that the proper use of LS will contribute to improved second language skills, although our learning awareness is not yet complete. (Richards and Renandya, 2002:122). Oxford concludes that teachers routinely research their classrooms To better understand the many variables that influence the collection and skillful use of LS (ibid.).

‫جملة‬
At the end of these classifications, it is worthy to state that the category of MLS is the one adopted in the present study by the researcher for several reasons. MLS applies to a variety of learning tasks (Nisbet andShucksmith,1986 as cited in O"Malley andChamot,1990:44). They also help learners deal effectively with a given language task, not just with the overall process of language learning ( Carter and Nunan,2001:168). Besides, MLS is appropriate for various levels of students (Cook, 2001:129). Finally, MLS are those processes that learners consciously use to supervise or manage their language learning (Schmitt, 2002:181).

Metacognition Strategies:
Metacognition is "thinking of the thinking process" such as the managerial executive"s work which manages a certain organization. The thinker"s work is managing his thinking. A thinker is a person responsible for his behavior; he specifies the right time to use MLS, identifies the problematic situation, finds solutions, and modifies that in conformity with information in addition to computing time and effort (Kellogy, 1994: 130).
In 1977, Flavell mentioned that there were many kinds of MLS some of which associated with metacognition and perception; i.e., awareness of

COMPREHENSION
perceptive cognitive processes man performs, controlling and justifying them, others associated with metamemory; i.e., awareness of memorizing strategies and the things the individual remembers, controls and justifies, and some others associated with metacomprehension, metaattention, and metathinking, etc. of meta-things (Flavell, 1977: 100).
First: Knowledge and control of self that includes: 1) commitment, 2) attitudes, and 3) attention.
Second: Knowledge and control of the process that includes: 3) procedural knowledge, and 4) organizing knowledge. Dirkes (1985:96) identifies three types of MLS as the following: 1) Connecting the new cognition with the previous one.
Beyer (1987: 36) * defines MLS with three processes: planning, monitoring, and evaluation: 1) Preparation: setting a learning objective; preparation how to carry out an operation such as a project or a dramatisation; planning how to write a storey or solve a problem; previewing a reading text to get the main idea; preparing and rehearsing the linguistic components required to execute an upcoming

LEARNING STRATEGIES ON THEIR ACHIEVEMENT IN READING
COMPREHENSION language assignment; understanding the conditions that help one learn and arranging for the presence of those conditions. 2) Monitoring: knowing how well a task is going on, how well the student understands while listening or reading, how well he / she is heard while speaking, or how well the student communicates his / her thoughts when speaking or writing; checking one"s comprehension during reading or checking the accuracy and/ or appropriateness of one"s written production while it is taking place. 3) Evaluation: assessing how well the student performed after completing an assignment, whether he / she accomplished his / her goal, and how Successful his / her LS or problem-solving procedures were; testing the results of one's language learning against a norm after it has been completed 2.4 Teaching Metacognition Strategies and Its Application: Brown (1987:16) believes that the inclusion of study content with MLS will promote the effectiveness of training on using them as well as the learning process which includes (how, when, where and why). The use of these strategies will contribute to incorporating them within the procedures of content teaching. Baird (1986:286-270) supports this conclusion through his studies by trying to formulate a theoretical frame to use MLS in a class situation, which may include five stages: exploring, awareness, participation, taking responsibility, and self-control. He adds that for improving metacognition processes in a certain context, there should be three levels of learning: treatment, evaluation, and determination. Thus, observation resulting from MLS control harmonizes the products at the last two levels and is interested in the aware application of defined cognitive strategies.

Reading Comprehension:
One of the primary goals of teaching / learning at EFL is RC.
RC definitions have significantly evolved over the decades. During the 20th century, ideas of learning have changed greatly.

COMPREHENSION
Teaching has changed from a behavioural viewpoint that dominated the field from the turn of the century to the sixties and seventies, to a holistic and immersive approach that started in the late seventies and continued to influence the thought of RC learners. Today, interactive model practitioners see reading as a cognitive, developmental, and socially built assignment that goes beyond knowing the words on a screen. (Meara, 1990:15).
As a result, there are several options for improving RC by developing the context knowledge of learners, building conceptual knowledge through vocabulary instruction, and improving metacognitive knowledge through instruction that focuses on purposeful LS, as well as recognising the circumstances in which the implementation of learned strategies can enhance understanding (Clear and Linn,1993:291).

The Role of MLS in RC:
In academic achievement, MLS plays a crucial part. Much study has sought to decide whether learning can be encouraged by the use of such techniques, or whether learners can adjust their strategies and learn new, more productive ones. (Hedge,2005:79). MLS includes learning preparation, learning thought, and how to make it productive, self-monitoring during learning, and assessment of how good learning has been in some way after language work. Therefore, when learners preview the next section of their course book, read carefully through the comments of the instructor on their written work, or revisit the notes they made during class, they use MLS (ibid.:78).  Johnson and Johnson according to (1999:334), MLS 's function in RC is to allow readers to be mindful of where their understanding comes from, i.e.

‫جملة‬
from the text or their understanding.
Via reading, "individual constructs meaning through a transaction with the written text that has been created by symbols that represent language". The transaction involves acting on or reading the text by the reader, and the interpretation is affected by the past experiences, language context, and cultural structure of the reader, as well as the intent of the reader to read the text (ibid.:154). In addition, Schmitt (2002:245) An essential connexion between the knowledge of MLS has been identified, i.e. an understanding of one's mental processes and the capacity to focus on what one is doing and the strategies one is employing while reading, and successful reading. The key way to incorporate the MLS in the RC lesson is to have students practise the tasks they are asked to perform by actively asking "What is the topic?" , "Initially, what do I know about the subject?" , "What is the topic I want to talk about?" (Ellis, 2003:33). These three questions are very important and allow students to give the passage an acceptable title, as well as the key concept of the passage using MLS by sequencing the events and details. In short, the reading lesson should seek to build the capacity of learners to participate in purposeful reading, to adopt a variety of styles of reading required to communicate effectively with authentic texts, and to improve critical knowledge. This implies using MLS, which involve planning, monitoring, and evaluating their learning in the supportive The classroom's climate and to Keep on reading outside the school in English (Hedge, 2005:221).

Experimental design Experimental design
The experimental layout is "the blueprint of the procedures that enable the researcher to test hypotheses by reaching valid conclusions about relationships between independent and dependent variables" (Best,1981:68).
The researchers used an adaptation of the posttest-only nonequivalent-group design in this analysis. (Campbell and Standy,1963:25)which can be depicted as follow: Experimental group-independent variable (MLS)-posttest

Control group ____________________________ posttest
In the present study, the experimental group subjects are taught RC by using MLS, whereas the control group subjects are taught RC as recommended in the Teachers' Guide of Book 7, NECI (A Committee, 1994).

Procedures for Population and Sample Selection:
Female students of the fifth grade / scientific branch in the preparatory and secondary schools for girls in Baghdad City for the academic year 2008-2009 are the population of the current report.
Due to the difficult security circumstances of the country, Al-Intissar Preparatory School for Girls in Hai-Al-Rabee", Directorate General of Education in Al-Risafa I was intentionally chosen. In this school, there were 171 fifth scientific graders in four sections. Two intact sections were randomly selected. In the same way, Section C with 42 students were picked at random to represent The experimental Group and Section A to be the control group of 41 students. Three topics were excluded; two topics from the study group because at the end of the experiment they left school, and one topic from the control group because she was a repeater. Therefore, 80

LEARNING STRATEGIES ON THEIR ACHIEVEMENT IN READING
COMPREHENSION students were included in the total number of sample subjects, 40 in each category.

Object Equivalence:
The researchers tried their best to monitor some of the factors that could influence the outcomes of the experiment to ensure better equivalence of the treatment group. These variables were: age, educational level of parents, midyear exam level of students in English, IQ test scores of students, and pre-test scores of students All the variations were analysed using a t-test for two independent samples or a chi-square formula at a significance level of 0.05 and were found to be negligible.

The Content of Instruction:
The researchers tried their best to provide the students with material that was relevant, nice, and authentic The instructional material selected by the researcher for the study includes eight reading texts. Texts 1,3,5 and 7 were taken from the Students" Textbook of NECI/Book7 (A Committee, 2007) prescribed for the fifth preparatory grade, whereas the texts 2,4,6 and 8 were chosen from Tibbitts"s Exercises in Reading Comprehension (1998)

The Achievement Test:
Because there is no ready-made test to be used for this analysis , the researchers created an accomplishment test to analyse the impact of MLS on the RC growth of EFL students.

The Building of the Test:
By selecting different items from many authentic materials (taken from the same sources used in the instructional programme), the researchers developed the achievement test. The test consists of two passages and 60 items. It is divided into three questions, each one is subdivided into (A) and (B). Various techniques are used in this test; for instance, question-answer type, multiplechoice items, true/false items, rearrangement, and cloze test.
The first question involves a passage followed by two sections. Section A includes 5 items of the question-answer type. As Weir (1996:45) puts it, with the careful formation of Answer from the nominee, this type It can be brief, and thus a large number of questions in this format can be set, allowing broad coverage; as well as 5 items examines vocabulary repertories of the students. Section B involves 6 items of the true-false type. The second question is a passage followed by two sections,. Section A also contains the same techniques in the first question, whereas Section B includes 6 items of

Validity of Test:
Validity is the degree to which a metre tests what it is meant to measure. (Clark, 1977:222). Otto et al. (1977:165) define it as a means to measure the appropriateness of the instrument to achieve the identified educational needs of the tutor. Face validity is often used to indicate whether the instrument, on the face of it, appears to measure what it claims to measure (Isaac and Michael, 1977: 82). To establish the face validity of the test used in the present study, the test was exposed to a jury of experts that consists of 17 experts in TEFL methodology and linguistics as well as for secondary school teachers Finally, with the jury members, the researchers discussed the content of the test and made the potential changes suggested by them.

The Level of Difficulty(DL):
It is noticed that the DL of the items varies from 0.32 to 0.58 after the application of the DL formula, i.e., the complexity of the item is within the normal range.

Power Discriminatory(DP)
For this analysis, the DP range of things is between 0.36 and 0.59. All products have been shown to have satisfactory discriminatory power and a reasonable difficulty level.

3.5.4Reliability test:
Reliability refers to the consistency of assessment scores.

Final Administration of the Test:
The researchers administered it to the already allocated representative sample of the study that consisted of 80 students after ensuring the validity and reliability of the test. That was on May 12, 2009.

Scoring Scheme:
Since the test consists of 60 items, 10 items take 2 marks and 50 items take 1 mark, so The highest mark that can be reached by the testee is 70 The lowest point is zero. The researcher herself scored the responses of both groups.

Statistical Methods:
In the present analysis , the following statistical techniques are used: 1) Chi-square in the variables of the educational level and sex of parents to equalise the subjects of the two classes.
2) 2-The t-test for two separate samples to examine the significance of discrepancies in the age, intelligence level, and achievement of the mid-year exam, pretest, and posttest between the two groups of students.
2) 3--Kuder Richardson KR20 and 21 formulas for estimating the internal accuracy of the test.  (53.40). By using the t-test formula for two independent samples, the t-value measured is 9,667, which is higher than the t-value tabulated.

4) 5-The Test Items
(1.994), At the 0.05 importance level and 67 degrees of liberty. Indeed, this means that, in support of the experimental community, there are statistically important variations between the two groups. In other words, in their achievement in RC, the experimental group is greater than the control group, and the impact of teaching MLS on the achievement of learners in RC is shown to be positive. See below in Table 1:

Interpretation and Discussion:
Based on the findings of this report, (which is mentioned in 4.2.1), As the achievement of the experimental group subjects in the achievement test administered at the end of the experiment surpassed that of the control group subjects, the MLS proposed and adopted by the researchers in their experiment proved to be successful. Here are some of the variables that the researchers have drawn from an overview of the student data:

‫جملة‬
1-There was a gradual change from a linguistic emphasis to a more communicative and applied emphasis for the experimental subjects during the research (11 weeks).
2-One of MLS 's functions during the experiment is that the statements of the experimental subjects started to take on a method instead of a product orientation.
3-By starting a chain of reactions from the students' contact with each other, the MLS created a real-life activity in the experimental community.
It showed them how change contributed to the very act of asking the questions.
Providing simple questions for students can encourage them to take part in group discussions. 4-In order to provide a consciousness-raising feature, MLS helped the students become more aware of their initial constraint. Students expanded the communicative networks in which they used RC for eleven weeks. They appeared more equipped to chat to strangers, too.
6-All experimental subjects engaged in MLS teaching activities over eleven weeks, helping them focus on their learning, improve their knowledge and ability to apply MLS in RC, evaluate their success, and apply their RC skills outside the classroom.

Findings:
The following conclusions can be drawn in light of the findings of the 2) In developing RC, MLS is very useful in planning , tracking, and selfevaluation.
3) MLS gives confidence to the students (even calm and shy ones) because they let them work with each other in group work. 4) MLS gives confidence to students (even calm and shy ones) as they make them interact with each other in group work. 5) Because they create an environment of intimacy, MLS enhances the links between the students themselves and between the students and their teachers. 6) MLS is often considered a beneficial pre-reading activity because it helps EFL students to engage in the learning process, while RC students are passive in the conventional form of teaching and do not engage in the reading process except for reading aloud without understanding.

Recommendations:
The following pedagogical guidelines are drawn on the basis of the findings and conclusions obtained in this study: 1) It is crucial to learn how to help language teachers become aware of the importance of LLS. Teaching MLS can be utilized to improve students" RC.
2) EFL teachers must be well and sufficiently prepared and trained in teaching RC. This can be achieved by involving EFL teachers in in-service training programs that provide them with the latest strategies used in teaching RC.
3) EFL teachers must spread the spirit of intimacy in the RC classes to give the EFL students confidence and bravery. This happens when readers have a dominant and productive role in RC classes.

Suggestions for Further Studies:
In light of the findings of this study, the following studies are suggested for further research: 1) A study can be made to find out whether there are statistically significant differences between the RC achievement of male and female students who are exposed to teaching MLS.
2) A study can be made to examine the impact of administering an in-service training program for EFL instructors containing the most updated strategies (including MLS) on teaching the four skills in English.
3) To assess the impact of MLS on other abilities (i.e. listening, speaking , and writing), a study is required Bibliography