Relationship Between EFL Students’ Use of Cognitive Strategies and their Class Level and Grade Point Averages

Abstract

This study examined the frequent cognitive strategies used by Jordanian undergraduate EFL students and how these cognitive strategies are related to students’ class levels and Grade Point Averages (GPAs). The study used the quantitative research design. Sixty-two EFL students in an academic reading course at a public university in Jordan were randomly selected to respond to a questionnaire which was adapted from Oxford (1990). Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, independent samples t-test, One-Way ANOVA, and Scheffe test. The study revealed that the top four frequent cognitive strategies used by EFL students are inferencing, prediction, elaboration, and paraphrasing. In other words, this study revealed that these cognitive strategies are useful techniques for EFL students to use in academic reading courses. The study also showed that there are no significant differences between students’ use of cognitive strategies and their class level. In addition, One-Way ANOVA and Scheffe tests revealed that there are significant differences between three cognitive strategies which are sounds, prediction, and paraphrasing and students’ GPAs, in favour of students with excellent GPAs. Thus, in EFL contexts, teachers of academic reading courses need to train students to use cognitive strategies effectively for better academic reading comprehension. This can be enhanced through designing reading activities and tasks that should involve the use of cognitive strategies in order to help EFL students practice these strategies.