An Investigation on Korean EFL Learners’ Use of Cognitive and Metacognitive Strategies in the Reading Test Situation

Abstract

This study explored cognitive and metacognitive strategy use of Korean high school students learning English as a foreign language (EFL) when they were taking a reading test. More specifically, this study examined the relationship between the deployment of English reading test strategies by Korean high school students and their reading level as well as the difference between perceived strategy use and actual strategy use in the EFL reading test situation. The investigation of individual strategy use on each reading test item was also conducted based on correct and incorrect answers. Quantitative analysis that involved descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, and a chi-square test, utilizing survey methodology was used in this research. To measure Korean high school students’ cognitive and metacognitive strategy use in the reading test situation, multiple-choice reading comprehension tests and Phakiti’s (2003, 2007) survey questionnaires regarding strategy use were utilized. One hundred nineteen Korean high school students participated in this study. While taking reading tests three times, they completed two kinds of strategy use survey questionnaires and described an individual strategy deployed to solve each reading test question item. The main finding of the study was that Korean high school students are strategic test-takers in the case of the English reading comprehension test. While taking the reading test, they deployed cognitive and metacognitive strategies in order to succeed. However, there were differences in the extent of strategy use according to the reading proficiency level. For example, high level students deployed metacognitive strategies significantly more than intermediate level or low level students. However, when intermediate level students did not possess adequate knowledge of English vocabulary and grammar, they employed a strategy of inferring meaning of an unfamiliar word through context in order to answer correctly. It was found that intermediate level students tend to deploy this strategy significantly more than any other group. The differences between trait (perceived) and state (actual) strategy use indicated that the lower the students’ reading level was, the bigger the differences in deploying these strategies were. That is, low level students perceived that they used all cognitive and metacognitive strategies to a higher degree than they were actually deploying them in the reading test. High level students, on the other hand, did not show any significant results in this matter, which means their deployment of cognitive and metacognitive strategies in the reading test was consistent. In the case of strategies directly related to the test, high level students answered that they employed these strategies more than they thought. With regards to individual strategy use, it was found that strategies were employed differently according to the test item as well as correct or incorrect answers. Thus, strategy deployment in the test situation was affected by test items, test-takers’ reading proficiency level and correct answering. Furthermore, vice versa, test-takers’ strategy use and their reading level could have an influence on strategy use. Students need to realize how to deploy appropriate strategies in the reading test. This study addresses the need for implementing strategy instruction for students to improve their strategy use in a reading test and further to promote their reading test performance. It sheds lights on how differentiated strategy instruction can be implemented in the school-based situation as well as how efficiently cognitive and metacognitive strategies can be cultivated in the reading class. |본 논문은 영어를 외국어로 배우고 있는 한국 고등학생들의 읽기시험에서의 인지적, 초인지적 전략 사용에 대해 연구하였다. 본 연구는 전략사용과 읽기 수준과의 관계, 읽기 시험에 대한 지각된 전략사용과 읽기 시험상황에의 실제적 전략사용에 대한 차이를 살펴보았다. 또한 정답자와 오답자간의 개별 읽기 문항에 사용되는 각 전략사용 차이도 연구되었다. 이 연구를 위해 기술통계, 일원 분산분석, 카이스퀘어 검정 등 양적 접근이 시행되었고 선다형 읽기시험과 Phakiti (2003, 2007)의 설문지 문항을 통해 학생들의 읽기 시험에서의 인지적, 초인지적 전략 사용을 측정하였다. 119명의 한국 고등학생들이 연구에 참여하였으며, 참여자들은 3번의 읽기시험을 치르고, 두 종류의 전략사용에 관한 설문지 문항을 완성하였고, 각 읽기 문항을 풀 때 사용했던 개별 전략을 기술하였다. 이 연구를 통해 한국의 고등학생들은 영어 읽기시험을 치를 때는 전략 사용자이며, 시험을 치르는 동안 좋은 점수를 받기 위해 인지적, 초인지적 전략을 사용하고 있음을 알 수 있었다. 또한 읽기 수준에 따른 전략 사용은 정도의 차이를 보였다. 예를 들어, 상위권 학생들은 초인지적 전략을 중위권이나 하위권 학생들 보다 유의미하게 많이 사용하였다. 하지만 중위권 학생의 경우 충분한 어휘와 문법 지식을 가지고 있지 않기 때문에 익숙하지 않은 단어의 의미를 문맥을 통해 추론하여 정답을 고르려 했고 다른 집단보다 추론 전략사용을 유의미하게 가장 많이 사용하였다. 또한 학생들이 전략사용에 대해 얼마나 지각하고 있는가와 실제 시험상황에서 전략을 얼마나 사용하였는지를 비교하고 수준별로 어떻게 다르게 사용하는지 연구하였다. 학생들의 읽기수준이 낮을수록 이 두 전략들은 차이가 크게 나타났다. 즉, 하위권 학생들은 읽기 시험 상황에서 사용하는 전략보다 자신이 사용할 것이라는 전략을 유의미하게 인지하고 있었다. 반면 상위권 학생들은 유의미한 차이를 보이고 있지 않았는데 지각하거나 실제 사용하는 상황에서 상위권 학생들은 인지적, 초인지적 전략을 일관되게 사용하고 있었다. 또한 상위권 학생일수록 시험과 직접 관련이 있는 전략은 지각하는 정도보다 실제로 더 많이 사용하였다. 마지막으로 전략사용에 대한 개별항목에 대한 분석에서는 전략사용이 시험 항목, 시험응시자의 읽기 능력수준과 정• 오답을 선택하는 능력과 연관되어 있음을 밝혔다. 학생들은 읽기 시험에서 적절한 전략을 자유롭게 사용하고, 이를 통해 읽기 시험에서의 실력향상을 기대할 수 있다. 이는 학교 상황에서 전략지도가 수준별로 알맞게 시행되어야 하고 인지적, 초인지적 전략이 효과적으로 사용되도록 지도해야 함을 시사하고 있다.; This study explored cognitive and metacognitive strategy use of Korean high school students learning English as a foreign language (EFL) when they were taking a reading test. More specifically, this study examined the relationship between the deployment of English reading test strategies by Korean high school students and their reading level as well as the difference between perceived strategy use and actual strategy use in the EFL reading test situation. The investigation of individual strategy use on each reading test item was also conducted based on correct and incorrect answers. Quantitative analysis that involved descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, and a chi-square test, utilizing survey methodology was used in this research. To measure Korean high school students’ cognitive and metacognitive strategy use in the reading test situation, multiple-choice reading comprehension tests and Phakiti’s (2003, 2007) survey questionnaires regarding strategy use were utilized. One hundred nineteen Korean high school students participated in this study. While taking reading tests three times, they completed two kinds of strategy use survey questionnaires and described an individual strategy deployed to solve each reading test question item. The main finding of the study was that Korean high school students are strategic test-takers in the case of the English reading comprehension test. While taking the reading test, they deployed cognitive and metacognitive strategies in order to succeed. However, there were differences in the extent of strategy use according to the reading proficiency level. For example, high level students deployed metacognitive strategies significantly more than intermediate level or low level students. However, when intermediate level students did not possess adequate knowledge of English vocabulary and grammar, they employed a strategy of inferring meaning of an unfamiliar word through context in order to answer correctly. It was found that intermediate level students tend to deploy this strategy significantly more than any other group. The differences between trait (perceived) and state (actual) strategy use indicated that the lower the students’ reading level was, the bigger the differences in deploying these strategies were. That is, low level students perceived that they used all cognitive and metacognitive strategies to a higher degree than they were actually deploying them in the reading test. High level students, on the other hand, did not show any significant results in this matter, which means their deployment of cognitive and metacognitive strategies in the reading test was consistent. In the case of strategies directly related to the test, high level students answered that they employed these strategies more than they thought. With regards to individual strategy use, it was found that strategies were employed differently according to the test item as well as correct or incorrect answers. Thus, strategy deployment in the test situation was affected by test items, test-takers’ reading proficiency level and correct answering. Furthermore, vice versa, test-takers’ strategy use and their reading level could have an influence on strategy use. Students need to realize how to deploy appropriate strategies in the reading test. This study addresses the need for implementing strategy instruction for students to improve their strategy use in a reading test and further to promote their reading test performance. It sheds lights on how differentiated strategy instruction can be implemented in the school-based situation as well as how efficiently cognitive and metacognitive strategies can be cultivated in the reading class.