Self-Regulated Learning-Based Chinese Reading Instruction and Grade 7 Students’ Reading Strategy Use: A Classroom-Based Quasi-Experimental Study

Abstract

This classroom-based quasi-experimental study examined whether self-regulated learning (SRL)-based Chinese reading instruction was associated with changes in Grade 7 students’ self-reported reading strategy use. Eighty students from two intact classes in public junior secondary schools in Shanxi Province, China, participated in the study. One class received six weeks of SRL-based Chinese reading instruction organized around planning, monitoring, and reflection, while the other continued with conventional Chinese reading instruction. Students’ strategy use was measured at pre-test, post-test, and delayed post-test using an adapted 23-item Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategies Inventory assessing global, problem-solving, and support strategies. Pre-test MANOVA showed no significant baseline difference between the groups in the overall strategy profile, Pillai’s Trace = .039, F (3, 76) = 1.038, p = .381. At post-test, MANOVA indicated a significant group difference, Wilks’ Λ = .460, F (3, 76) = 29.750, p < .001, partial η² = .540. Baseline-adjusted ANCOVA results showed that the SRL-based instruction group reported significantly higher scores across all three dimensions. Repeated-measures analyses further revealed significant Time × Group interactions across the three strategy dimensions. Bonferroni-adjusted delayed post-test comparisons confirmed that the experimental group maintained significant relative advantages, with the strongest sustained advantage in problem-solving strategies. These findings provide classroom-based quasi-experimental evidence that SRL-based instruction enhances junior secondary students’ perceived strategic reading development by strengthening their awareness of text planning, cognitive monitoring, problem-directed resolution, and post-reading reflection. The results suggest that integrating metacognitive regulation activities into secondary L1 education offers a viable and practical approach to supporting students’ strategic reading development within authentic classroom contexts.