The Roles of Reading Strategies, Reading Motivation, and Reading Anxiety in Literal and Higher-order Reading Comprehension Among EFL University Students

Abstract

This study investigates how metacognitive reading strategies, motivation, and foreign language anxiety influence both literal and higher-level reading comprehension in EFL learners. Based on the Schema Theory, Strategic Reading Model, Expectancy-Value Theory, and Foreign Language Anxiety Theory, this research involved 176 undergraduates aged 18-22 years with diverse linguistic and educational backgrounds in the USAID Higher Education Scholarship Program at the American University of Beirut. Participants completed the Adult Reading Motivation Scale, the Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale, the Survey of Reading Strategies, and a reading comprehension test. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics, correlation, and multiple regression analyses to study the relationships among the preceding variables and their roles in literal and higher-order reading comprehension. Results showed that students tend to depend on global reading strategies the most; however, problem-solving strategy were shown to be the strongest predictors of reading comprehension. Meanwhile, reading anxiety and reading motivation did not reach statistical significance as predictors of reading comprehension. Implications for improving the academic reading skills among diverse and underserved EFL student groups are presented.