Autonomy in reading comprehension in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in the literacy process

Abstract

In the 21st century the ability to read and comprehend a text written in English is a basic requirement to access better jobs and to widen background knowledge. There is an urgent need for students entering university to be equipped with tools useful for developing the ability to read and comprehend a text in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) to access academic material in their fields of study. The main objective of this research is to analyze the teaching practices in reading comprehension of EFL through the examination of students’ cognitive and metacognitive strategies and its relationship with the development of student autonomy. This is a qualitative research with an ethnographic approach. Through non-participating observations, the study examines the teaching practices held in hybrid and virtual lessons to compare and contrast them. The course curriculum and syllabus, together with the lesson plannings and activities proposed for both types of classes, hybrid and virtual, are examined. The relationship between student autonomy and use of metacognitive strategies is studied in two public universities located in Villa María, province of Córdoba, Argentina. The instruments applied were teachers’ and key informants’ interviews, focus group and student surveys. The findings reveal that the stimulation and activation in the use of metacognitive strategies favour reading comprehension in EFL. The promotion of student autonomous learning is encouraged because it helps them regulate their own learning process, which greatly impacts on their academic performance.