Al-Aqsa University Students' Use of Metacognitive Reading Strategies in Relation to their English Reading Comprehension Competence.

Little research has been conducted on English reading comprehension of Gaza university students. Thus, the study aimed to examine Al-Aqsa University students' use of metacognitive reading strategies in relation to their English reading comprehension. The researcher collected the study data through administering the reading section of the international English language testing system test (2019) and a closed-ended questionnaire to 95 students. The researcher also conducted semi-structured interviews with 16 students selected from the 95 participants. Findings indicated that the participants' use of metacognitive reading strategies was high (75.9%), and there was no statistically significant correlation between the participants' reading comprehension and their use of metacognitive reading strategies. Additionally, the study concluded that the use of metacognitive reading strategies might not be the only factor influencing the participants' reading comprehension level. Based on the study results, the researcher introduced relevant recommendations, such as the necessity of considering other factors that may contribute to the participants' reading comprehension (improving lexical competence, using monolingual dictionaries, and utilizing some strategies like reading between lines and drawing inferences). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]