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Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Volume 17. Number 3, September 2026 Pp. 583-598
Preparatory Centre for Science and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Malaysia
Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Malaysia
Faculty of Education and Sports Studies, Universiti Malaysia Sabah,
Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
The use of simplified text in English reading textbooks is crucial for teaching language features, building a sense of familiarity, and improving comprehension skills. However, exclusive dependence on such texts may encourage passive reading practices and engagement with content at a surface level, thus limiting the development of metacognitive awareness in reading. This study proposed the intervention of periodical texts within an online collaborative workspace to promote more active reading practices. Through this approach, this study examines its effects on learners’ metacognitive awareness. Adopting a mixed-methods quasi-experimental design and think-aloud protocol, the study involved foundation students at a public university in Malaysia. The experimental group demonstrated significant improvements in seven strategies namely declarative knowledge, procedural knowledge, conditional knowledge, planning, comprehension monitoring, information management, and evaluation. The qualitative findings further revealed that students applied strategies such as task division, exchanging opinions, directing focus, pausing to think, rereading, relating to their own experience, and comparing understanding. Moving beyond text simplification as a dominant scaffold in reading, this study empirically demonstrates the value of enhancing metacognitive knowledge and regulation as a dynamic and socially responsive strategy. The proposed intervention is significant for pedagogical practice as it foregrounds constructivist, collaborative and reflective practice, promote learner-centered reading activity, and facilitates learner engagement. Dissemination of these findings is expected to offer evidence supporting the application of the intervention as part of reading development.
Latip, N. A. A., Ismail, H. H., Hashim, H. & Din, W. A. (2026). Enhancing Metacognitive Awareness in English Reading Through Collaborative Learning with Periodical Texts and Online Workspace. Arab World English Journal, 17(3): 583-598.
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Nur Anneliza Abd Latip is a language instructor at the Preparatory Centre for Science and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Sabah. Her areas of concentration are teaching and learning, English language learning, and pedagogy. ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4388-2296
Hanita Hanim Ismail is a Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Her areas of concentration are English literature, gender studies, and literature in education, including literacy. ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3121-8822
Harwati Hashim is a Professor at the Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Her areas of concentration are TESL, technology enhanced learning, mobile learning, Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL), technology acceptance and innovative pedagogy, and social media in education. ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8817-427X
Wardatul Akmam Din is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Education and Sports Studies, Universiti Malaysia Sabah. Her areas of concentration are educational assessment, pedagogy and education, language learning strategies, English language learning, and teaching English as a foreign language. ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5681-7544