The Effectiveness of Reflective Learning through Semi-structured Reflection Writing in Reading Performance and Metacognitive Awareness of Iranian EFL Learners

Reflective learning includes learning through reflection and representing the learning process mainly through the medium of writing. This study investigated the effectiveness of the reflective learning process on EFL learners’ reading performance and metacognitive. The participants of the study were 63 high school students assigned to experimental and control groups. A reading comprehension test and the Persian version of the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (MAI) were administered at pretest and posttest. A semi-structured reflection sheet was introduced to the experimental group of learners to guide their reflections. An independent samples t-test showed significant differences between the experimental and control groups’ reading ability and overall metacognitive awareness. Among the metacognitive awareness components, a MANOVA showed significant differences in the regulation of cognition and three of its subcomponents. There was no significant difference in the knowledge of cognition but two of its subcomponents indicated significant differences. The qualitative analysis of the reflections indicated the learners’ perceptions of reflective learning’s effectiveness in terms of metacognitive awareness for enhancing reading performance. Reflective learning created a condition for the participants’ engagement through writing about their learning and pacing it. It gave the teacher awareness of the learners’ needs to meet them and provide them with appropriate feedback.