Self-regulated learning to enhance reading comprehension in efl learners

Abstract

Reading comprehension is one of the four most important skills in learning English as a foreign language (EFL), as it enables learners of English as a second language (L2) to understand, comprehend, interpret, and construct meaning from different types of texts. However, many students struggle to improve this skill because they do not use learning strategies and lack autonomy in the learning process. This is why Self-regulated Learning (SRL) emerges as an effective alternative; it helps students set a study plan, follow the process, track their progress, and lastly, assess the learning based on what they planned. Therefore, the objective of this study is to analyze how SRL contributes to improving reading comprehension among EFL learners. This study employed a qualitative research method, which allowed for an exploration of the participants’ experiences and opinions regarding the use of self-regulated strategies while reading. In addition, this study identified the most commonly used strategies for understanding English texts and analyzed the factors that facilitate or hinder the application of these strategies. The most frequently mentioned strategies were skimming and scanning, summarizing, and highlighting unfamiliar words. To close, the results showed that SRL enhances reading comprehension, as it promotes more active, autonomous, and conscious engagement through goal-setting, the creation of a study plan, and the identification of strategies to be used to enhance reading comprehension.