TY  - JOUR
T1  - Building Strategic Readers: The Effects of Online Training on Comprehension
TT  - Building Strategic Readers: The Effects of Online Training on Comprehension
AU  - Börekci, Rabia
AU  - Yavuz, Aysun
PY  - 2025
DA  - October
Y2  - 2025
DO  - 10.31464/jlere.1657479
JF  - Dil Eğitimi ve Araştırmaları Dergisi
JO  - JLERE
PB  - Hakan ÜLPER
WT  - DergiPark
SN  - 2149-5602
SP  - 859
EP  - 890
VL  - 11
IS  - 2
LA  - en
AB  - This study examined the effects of an 8-week online strategy training program on reading comprehension of 8th-grade EFL learners in Türkiye. The program introduced eight strategies across the pre-, during-, and post-reading stages, progressing in complexity. This single case study employed a mixed-methods approach, incorporating pre-, post-, and delayed post-tests; a topic familiarity quiz; think-aloud protocols; diaries; and interviews. The findings showed significant improvement in reading comprehension, which was sustained over time. Think-aloud protocols revealed the students' metacognitive awareness and adaptability. The diaries identified areas for improvement, such as materials, engagement, and technical challenges. Interviews provided positive feedback while suggesting enhancements, including real-life content, better timing between learning and application, and an extended duration for exam preparation. This study underscores the effectiveness of online strategy training in improving reading comprehension and highlights the need for further research to optimize its implementation.Keywords:Reading comprehension, Strategy training, Online training, Language learner
KW  - Strategy training
KW  - Reading comprehension
KW  - Online training
KW  - Language learner
N2  - This study examined the effects of an 8-week online strategy training program on reading comprehension of 8th-grade EFL learners in Türkiye. The program introduced eight strategies across the pre-, during-, and post-reading stages, progressing in complexity. This single case study employed a mixed-methods approach, incorporating pre-, post-, and delayed post-tests; a topic familiarity quiz; think-aloud protocols; diaries; and interviews. The findings showed significant improvement in reading comprehension, which was sustained over time. Think-aloud protocols revealed the students' metacognitive awareness and adaptability. The diaries identified areas for improvement, such as materials, engagement, and technical challenges. Interviews provided positive feedback while suggesting enhancements, including real-life content, better timing between learning and application, and an extended duration for exam preparation. This study underscores the effectiveness of online strategy training in improving reading comprehension and highlights the need for further research to optimize its implementation.Keywords:Reading comprehension, Strategy training,Online training, Language learner
CR  - Afflerbach, P., Pearson, P. D., & Paris, S. G. (2008). Clarifying differences between reading skills and reading strategies. The Reading Teacher, 61(5), 364–373. https://doi.org/10.1598/RT.61.5.1
CR  - Ahmadi, M. R., Ismail, H. N., & Kabilan, M. K. (2013). The importance of metacognitive reading strategy awareness in reading comprehension. English Language Teaching, 6(10), 235–244. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v6n10p235
CR  - Akinyi, G. L., Oboko, R., & Muchemi, L. (2024). Learning analytics intervention using prompts and feedback for measurement of e-learners' socially-shared regulated learning. Electronic Journal of e-Learning, 22(5), 103–116.
https://doi.org/10.34190/ejel.22.5.3253
CR  - Albazi, S., & Shukri, N. (2016). Evaluating the effect of metacognitive strategy training on reading comprehension of female students at KAU. International Journal of Applied Linguistics and English Literature, 5(3), 172–183. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.5n.3p.172
CR  - Almalki, A., & Alzahrani, M. (2024). Facilitating L2 reading comprehension through L1 and L2 group discussions. Reading in a Foreign Language, 36(1), 1–24. https://hdl.handle.net/10125/67462
CR  - Alptekin, C., & Erçetin, G. (2011). Effects of working memory capacity and content familiarity on literal and inferential comprehension in L2 reading. TESOL Quarterly, 45(2), 235–266. https://doi.org/10.5054/tq.2011.247705
CR  - Andrés, I. C. (2020). Enhancing reading comprehension through an intensive reading approach. HOW, 27(1), 69–82. https://doi.org/10.19183/how.27.1.518
CR  - Arabmofrad, A., Badi, M., & Rajaee Pitehnoee, M. (2021). The relationship among elementary English as a foreign language learners' hemispheric dominance, metacognitive reading strategies preferences, and reading 
comprehension. Reading & Writing Quarterly, 37(5), 413–424. https://doi.org/10.1080/10573569.2020.1846005
CR  - Babayigit, Ö. (2019). Examination the metacognitive reading strategies of secondary school sixth grade students. International Journal of Progressive Education, 15(3), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.29329/ijpe.2019.193.1
CR  - Baker, S. K., Kennedy, P. C., Richards, D., Nelson, N. J., Fien, H., & Doabler, C. T. (2024). Measuring instructional interactions during reading instruction for students receiving intervention in middle school. Journal of Learning 
Disabilities, 57(5), 303–316. https://doi.org/10.1177/00222194231211948
CR  - Beceren, S. (2020). Vocabulary size of Turkish EFL learners at the tertiary level and its’ impact on their reading and listening comprehension. Mediterranean Journal of Educational Research, 14(32), 206–219. https://doi.org/10.29329/mjer.2020.258.11
CR  - Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
CR  - Crossley, S. A., Yang, H. S., & McNamara, D. S. (2014). What's so simple about simplified texts? A computational and psycholinguistic investigation of text comprehension and text processing. Reading in a Foreign Language, 26(1), 92–113. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1031308
CR  - Dermitzaki, I. (2025). Fostering elementary school students' self-regulation skills in reading comprehension: Effects on text comprehension, strategy use, and self-efficacy. Behavioral Sciences, 15(2), 101.
https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15020101
CR  - Dewitz, P., & Graves, M. F. (2024). Reevaluating and restructuring comprehension strategy instruction. The Reading Teacher, 78(1), 17–26.https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.2308
CR  - Elbro, C., & Buch-Iversen, I. (2013). Activation of background knowledge for inference making: Effects on reading comprehension. Scientific Studies of Reading, 17(6), 435–452. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888438.2013.774005
CR  - Erten, İ. H., & Razi, S. (2009). The effects of cultural familiarity on reading comprehension. Reading in a Foreign Language, 21(1), 60–77. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ838389.pdf
CR  - Ghaith, G., & El-Sanyoura, H. (2019). Reading comprehension: The mediating role of metacognitive strategies. Reading in a Foreign Language, 31(1), 19–43. http://hdl.handle.net/10125/66748
CR  - Ghafournia, N., & Afghari, A. (2013). Relationship between reading proficiency, strategic competence, and reading comprehension test performance: A study of Iranian EFL learners. International Education Studies, 6(8), 21–30. https://doi.org/10.5539/ies.v6n8p21
CR  - Gilakjani, A., & Ahmadi, S. (2011). The relationship between l2 reading comprehension and schema theory: a matter of text familiarity. International Journal of Information and Education Technology, 1(2) 142–149. https://doi.org/10.7763/ijiet.2011.v1.24
CR  - Grabe, W. (2009). Reading in a second language: Moving from theory to practice. Cambridge University Press.  https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139150484
CR  - Grabe, W., & Yamashita, J. (2022). Reading in a second language: Moving from theory to practice (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108789589
CR  - Green, S. (2016). Two for one: Using QAR to increase reading comprehension and improve test scores. The Reading Teacher, 70(1), 103–109. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1466
CR  - Habók, A., Oo, T. Z., & Magyar, A. (2024). The effect of reading strategy use on online reading comprehension. Heliyon, 10(2), e24281.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e24281
CR  - Hall, C., Vaughn, S., Barnes, M. A., Stewart, A. A., Austin, C. R., & Roberts, G. (2020). The effects of inference instruction on the reading comprehension of English learners with reading comprehension difficulties. Remedial and Special Education, 41(5), 259–270.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0741932518824983
CR  - Hock, M., & Mellard, D. (2005). Reading comprehension strategies for adult literacy outcomes. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 49(3), 192–200. https://doi.org/10.1598/JAAL.49.3.3
CR  - Huang, H. C. (2013). Online reading strategies at work: What teachers think and what students do. ReCALL, 25(3), 340–358. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0958344013000153
CR  - Ismail, S. A. M. M., Karim, A., & Mohamed, A. R. (2018). The role of gender, socioeconomic status, and ethnicity in predicting ESL learners' reading comprehension. Reading & Writing Quarterly, 34(6), 457–484.
https://doi.org/10.1080/10573569.2018.1462745
CR  - Jääskeläinen, R. (2012). Think-aloud protocol. In Y. Gambier & L. Van Doorslaer (Eds.), Handbook of translation studies: Volume 1 (pp. 371–373). John Benjamins Publishing Company. https://doi.org/10.1075/hts.1.thi1
CR  - Jenkins, P. (2019). Development and evaluation of a measure of treatment knowledge in guided self-help for eating disorders in a sample of healthcare students and professionals. Eating and Weight Disorders - Studies on 
Anorexia Bulimia and Obesity, 25(4), 833–839. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-019-00737-1
CR  - Kung, F. W. (2019). Teaching second language reading comprehension: The effects of classroom materials and reading strategy use. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 13(1), 93–104. 
https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2017.1364252
CR  - Kusiak, M. (2013). Reading comprehension in Polish and English: Evidence from an introspective study. Wydawnictwo UJ.
CR  - Li, H., Gan, Z., Leung, S. O., & An, Z. (2022). The impact of reading strategy instruction on reading comprehension, strategy use, motivation, and self-efficacy in Chinese university EFL students. SAGE Open, 12(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440221086659
CR  - Liu, H. (2021). Does questioning strategy facilitate second language (L2) reading comprehension? The effects of comprehension measures and insights from reader perception. Journal of Research in Reading, 44(2), 339–359. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9817.12339
CR  - Mackey, A., & Gass, S. M. (2015). Second language research: Methodology and design. Routledge.
CR  - Magnusson, C. G., Roe, A., & Blikstad‐Balas, M. (2019). To what extent and how are reading comprehension 
strategies part of language arts instruction? Reading Research Quarterly, 54(2), 187–212. https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.231
CR  - Majid, F., Azman, N., & Jelas, Z. (2010). The reading strategies of proficient and less proficient adult readers. Journal of Adult and Continuing Education, 16(1), 21–40. https://doi.org/10.7227/jace.16.1.4
CR  - McNeil, L. (2011). Investigating the contributions of background knowledge and reading comprehension strategies to L2 reading comprehension: An exploratory study. Reading and Writing, 24(8), 883–902. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-010-9230-6
CR  - McKeown, R. G., & Gentilucci, J. L. (2007). Think‐aloud strategy: Metacognitive development and monitoring comprehension in the middle school second‐language classroom. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 51(2), 136–147.. https://doi.org/10.1598/JAAL.51.2.5
CR  - Maher, Y., Moussa, S. M., & Khalifa, M. E. (2020). Learners on focus: Visualizing analytics through an integrated model for learning analytics in adaptive gamified e-learning. IEEE Access, 8, 197597–197616. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2020.3034284
CR  - Mihara, K. (2011). Effects of pre-reading strategies on EFL/ESL reading comprehension. TESL Canada Journal, 28(2), 51–73. https://doi.org/10.18806/tesl.v28i2.1072
CR  - Namaziandost, E., Razmi, M. H., Ahmad Tilwani, S., & Pourhosein Gilakjani, A. (2022). The impact of authentic materials on reading comprehension, motivation, and anxiety among Iranian male EFL learners. Reading and 
Writing Quarterly, 38(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/10573569.2021.1892001
CR  - Nunan, D., & Bailey, K. M. (2009). Exploring second language classroom research. Heinle and Heinle.
CR  - OECD. (2023). PISA 2022 results (Volume I): What students know and can do. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. https://www.oecd.org/pisa/publications/pisa-2022-results-volume-i.htm
CR  - Okasha, M. A. (2020). Using strategic reading techniques for improving EFL reading skills. Arab World English Journal, 11(2), 311–322. https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol11no2.22
CR  - Oshima, S. (2024). Effectiveness of a multimodal approach during online reading strategy instruction. Reading in a Foreign Language, 36(1), 1–20. https://hdl.handle.net/10125/67457
CR  - Oxford, R. L. (2011). Strategies for learning a second or foreign language. Language Teaching, 44(2), 167–180.https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444810000492
CR  - Pardede, P. (2022). Online reading strategies in EFL: A review. JET (Journal of English Teaching), 8(2), 329–339. https://doi.org/10.33541/jet.v8i2.4130
CR  - Pardo, A., Jovanovic, J., Dawson, S., Gašević, D., & Mirriahi, N. (2019). Using learning analytics to scale the provision of personalised feedback. British Journal of Educational Technology, 50(1), 128–138. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12592
CR  - Park, J. Y. (2012). A different kind of reading instruction: Using visualizing to bridge reading comprehension and critical literacy. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 55(7), 629–640. https://doi.org/10.1002/JAAL.00074
CR  - Pearson, P. D., & Gallagher, M. C. (1983). The instruction of reading comprehension. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 8(3), 317–344. https://doi.org/10.1016/0361-476X(83)90019-X
CR  - Pinninti, L. R. (2024). The impact of peer-collaborative strategic reading and reflective journal writing on orchestrated reading strategy use and comprehension. Teaching English as a Second Language Electronic Journal (TESL-EJ), 27(3), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.55593/ej.27108a3
CR  - RAND Reading Study Group. (2002). Reading for understanding: Toward an R&D program in reading comprehension. RAND.
CR  - Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2017). Self-determination theory: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness. Guilford Press.
https://doi.org/10.1521/978.14625/28806
CR  - Razi, S. (2014). Metacognitive reading strategy training of advanced level EFL learners in Turkey. The Reading Matrix, 14(2), 337–360. https://www.readingmatrix.com/articles/razi/article2.pdf
CR  - Razi, S. (2005). A fresh look at the evaluation of ordering tasks in reading comprehension: Weighted marking protocol. The Reading Matrix, 5(1), 1–15. https://www.readingmatrix.com/articles/razi/article.pdf
CR  - Rianto, A. (2021). Indonesian EFL university students' metacognitive online reading strategies before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Studies in English Language and Education, 8(1), 16–33. 
https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v8i1.18110
CR  - Rumelhart, D. E. (2023). 573 Toward an Interactive Model of Reading. In Attention and Performance VI: Proceedings of the Sixth International Symposium on Attention and Performance Stockholm, Sweden, July 28—August 1, 1975 (pp. 573–603). Routledge.
CR  - Swanepoel, N., Van Heerden, J., & Hartell, C. (2019). Teacher perspectives and practices in teaching English reading comprehension to Grade 2 First Additional Language Learners. Journal for Language Teaching, 53(1), 81–101. https://doi.org/10.4314/jlt.v53i1.4
CR  - Sua, M. R. (2021). Cognitive strategies for developing students' reading comprehension skills using short stories. REXE-Revista de Estudios y Experiencias en Educación, 20(44), 233–253. https://doi.org/10.21703/0718-5162.v20.n43.2021.014
CR  - Susoy, Z., & Tanyer, S. (2019). The role of vocabulary vs. syntactic knowledge in L2 reading comprehension. Eurasian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 5(1), 113–130. https://doi.org/10.32601/ejal.543787
CR  - Tamin, İ. B. (2019). Effects of a reading strategy instruction on 10th grade EFL students' metacognitive awareness (Master’s thesis, Ondokuz Mayıs University)
CR  - Temelman-Yogev, L., Katzir, T., & Prior, A. (2020). Monitoring comprehension in a foreign language: Trait or skill?. Metacognition and Learning, 15, 343–365.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11409-020-09245-5
CR  - Toprak-Yıldız, T. E. (2022). Developing a cognitive model of L2 reading comprehension for evaluative purposes in an EMI context. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 75, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2022.101200
CR  - Tsai, Y. R., & Talley, P. C. (2014). The effect of a course management system (CMS)-supported strategy instruction on EFL reading comprehension and strategy use. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 27(5), 422–438.
https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2012.757754
CR  - Uçak, G., & Kartal, G. (2023). Scaffolding design to increase reading comprehension for learners of English through online strategy training. E-learning and Digital Media, 20(4), 402–423. https://doi.org/10.1177/20427530221111268
CR  - Urlaub, P. (2013). Questioning the text: Advancing literary reading in the second language through web‐based strategy training. Foreign Language Annals, 46(3), 508–521. https://doi.org/10.1111/flan.12038
CR  - Urquhart, A. H., & Weir, C. J. (2014). Reading in a Second Language: Process, Product and Practice. Routledge https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315841373
CR  - Wang, Y. (2023). Study on the application of the schema theory to the teaching of college English reading. Journal of Education and Educational Research, 5(3), 83–87. https://doi.org/10.54097/jeer.v5i3.13362
CR  - Wu, L., Valcke, M., & Van Keer, H. (2023). Differential effects of reading strategy intervention for three levels of comprehenders: Focus on text comprehension and autonomous reading motivation. Learning and Individual Differences, 104(2023), 1–14.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2023.102290
CR  - Yan, X., & Kim, J. (2023). The effects of schema strategy training using digital mind mapping on reading comprehension: A case study of Chinese university students in EFL context. Cogent Education, 10(1), 1–20. . https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2022.2163139
CR  - Yang, Y. F. (2006). Reading strategies or comprehension monitoring strategies?. Reading Psychology, 27(4), 313–343.https://doi.org/10.1080/02702710600846852
CR  - Zafarani, P., & Kabgani, S. (2014). Summarization strategy training and reading comprehension of Iranian ESP learners. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 98, 1959–1965. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.03.629
CR  - Zhang, S., & Duke, N. K. (2008). Strategies for Internet reading with different reading purposes: A descriptive study of twelve good Internet readers. Journal of literacy research, 40(1), 128–162. https://doi.org/10.1080/10862960802070491
CR  - Zhang, L. J., & Wu, A. (2009). Chinese senior high school EFL students’ metacognitive awareness and reading-strategy use. Reading in a Foreign Language, 21(1), 37–59. https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/345a3896-d0d2-4892-b960-3a87a151089a/content
CR  - Zimmerman, B. J., & Schunk, D. H. (Eds.). (2011). Handbook of self-regulation of learning and performance. Routledge.
UR  - https://doi.org/10.31464/jlere.1657479
L1  - https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/4689141
ER  -