The Relationship between Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategies and Students’ Academic Status in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences

Introduction: Learning and studying are considered among the most basic processes of every educational system. One of the most essential factor in determining learning behaviours, is metacognitive awareness and perception. This study was performed to determine the relationship between students’ metacognitive awareness of reading strategies and their academic status. Methods: In a descriptive correlational study, 191 students were selected through stratified random sampling out of total students of schools of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in 2008-2009 academic years. Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategies Inventory (MARSI) was distributed among study sample. Academic status of students was defined based on their grand point average. Data was analyzed by SPSS version 10 software using Pearson correlation, independent t, and variance analysis tests. Results: The mean and standard deviation of metacognitive awareness score of students was 66.62 ± 14.8. The mean score of metacognitive awareness showed a significant correlation with students’ score of academic status meaning that students with average score higher that 17, had a significantly higher metacognitive awareness. Metacognitive awareness showed no significant relationship with variables of age, gender, and residence place. But, there was a significant relationship with academic level, so as MS students had higher metacognition score compared to that of PhD students. Conclusion: Metacognitive awareness and knowledge may lead to a more effective learning and studying in different courses. Considering the fact that metacognitive awareness and knowledge could be learnt both in family or educational settings in all levels of learners, it is recommended that educational and cultural institutions develop a comprehensive and detailed plan in this regard.