THE IMPLEMENTATION OF METACOGNITIVE STRATEGIES AND ITS IMPACT ON EFL LISTENING COMPREHENSION

This study examined the implementation of metacognitive strategies in tertiary EFL listening classes by focusing on how the lecturer provided instruction and how students enacted strategies across the planning, monitoring, and evaluating stages. Using a mixed-methods design, qualitative data were collected through eight classroom observations and semi-structured interviews with both the lecturer and students. In contrast, quantitative data were obtained from a metacognitive strategy questionnaire and a listening comprehension test. The results for Research Questions 1–3 indicate that the lecturer consistently introduced planning and monitoring strategies during pre-listening and while-listening phases, although evaluation strategies were less explicitly emphasized. Students demonstrated metacognitive behaviors aligned with the instructional prompts, with monitoring emerging as the most frequently observed stage. Evaluating behaviors appeared but were less consistently enacted across meetings. For Research Question 4, the independent samples t-test demonstrated a significant difference in listening comprehension performance between students with high and low metacognitive strategy use, t(22) = –12.013, p < .005, indicating that greater use of planning, monitoring, and evaluating strategies was strongly associated with higher listening scores. These findings underscore the importance of explicit metacognitive instruction in enhancing learners’ listening comprehension.