Correlation Patterns among Online Reading, Offline Reading, Metacognitive Reading Strategy Awareness, and General English Proficiency

Online reading has developed into a primary method of obtaining information in the digital era. Nevertheless, research that identifies factors contributing to EFL university students' online reading comprehension success is limited. The study aimed to understand the relationship among three factors related to online reading comprehension, i.e., metacognitive reading strategy awareness, offline reading ability, and general English proficiency. A correlational study was employed involving twenty-nine English department students from various proficiency levels. Data were gathered using an online survey of reading strategies (OSORS) and an English proficiency test. Regression analyses, performed on the three factors and online reading comprehension, revealed that the correlation between general English proficiency test results and online reading comprehension was significantly positive with a medium degree. However, the other two related factors, i.e., metacognitive reading strategy awareness and offline reading ability, showed no significant correlation with online reading comprehension. The result may be due to the lack of metacognitive reading strategy awareness and the different nature of offline and online reading. Thus, language teaching and learning practice is urgently needed to address these issues more explicitly.