A Probe into Cognitive and Metacognitive Reading Strategy Use and Reading Comprehension Test Performance in Light of Emotioncy

ABSTRACT This study aims to find the potential relationship between emotioncy (sense-induced emotions), reading strategy use, and reading comprehension test performance among English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners. To this end, 514 intermediate and upper-intermediate EFL learners were asked to complete a 30-item multiple-choice reading comprehension test along with the emotioncy scale and a standardized reading strategies questionnaire. Fitted regression models, a t-test, and a Mann-Whitney U test were utilized to analyze the data. The findings showed that higher levels of emotioncy may lead to higher scores in a reading comprehension test. Moreover, the learners who had higher levels of emotioncy employed more cognitive and metacognitive reading comprehension strategies and all their related sub-scales. Finally, the results revealed that the emotioncy level is a stronger predictor of reading comprehension success compared to the reading strategies employed by EFL learners. In the end, the findings were discussed in the context of language education and implications were provided.