More and more universities are using English as a medium of instruction around the world, in a variety of fields, from the most scientific to the least (Macaro et al., 2021). This evident spread of English in the tertiary sphere necessitates a high language skill from students who plan to study in these countries. Students from countries where English is not used as a medium of instruction, e.g. Syria, face a huge difficulty when moving to a new country where English is used. International students reported that one of the most challenging skills to be attained is reading (Kamal et al., 2022). One of the most cited strategies to be claimed effective is metacognition (Al-Bazi & Shukri, 2016; Deliany & Cahyono, 2020; Haling, 2022; Muhid et al., 2020; Rastegar et al., 2017). Metacognition is the ability to consciously reflect one’s own thinking as well as monitoring, controlling, and regulating that thinking, so that one reaches a previously defined goal (Lavi et al., 2019; Veenman et al., 2006). The effect of metacognition on reading skills has also been asserted to be positive (Al-Bazi & Shukri, 2016; Deliany & Cahyono, 2020; Haling, 2022; Muhid et al., 2020; Rastegar et al., 2017). One of the most renowned inventories to investigate students’ metacognitive strategies is The Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategies Inventory, hereinafter, MARSI (Mokhtari & Reichard, 2002) which was revised later in 2018 (Mokhtari et al., 2018). A self-report instrument, MARSI explores the use of selected reading strategies while reading academic materials, namely planning, monitoring, and evaluating which correspond to global reading strategies, problem solving skills, and support reading skills (Al-Bazi & Shukri, 2016; Deliany & Cahyono, 2020; Haling, 2022; Muhid et al., 2020; Rastegar et al., 2017). Planning strategies engage deliberate set of tactics used by readers to while preparing for, organizing, and structuring their reading practice. Deploying these strategies, the reader aims to set goals, analyze the reading task, and develop a scheme to comprehend the task (Babashamasi et al., 2022; Mokhtari & Reichard, 2002; Muhid et al., 2020). Monitoring grips the active and continual process of cognition throughout the reading activity. It explores the awareness of the reader and questions their understanding and comprehension while engaging with the text. It has been maintained that the more skilled a reader is the higher chances of them to be able to monitor their comprehension, recognize when they do not understand, and attempt to deploy elected strategies to rectify the process (Mokhtari et al., 2018). Evaluating is concerned with the conscious and deliberate process of evaluating one’s understanding of the text once the reading process is finalized. This process integrates readers’ reflection on the content of the task and how it can relate to their background knowledge, contributing to the overall understanding of the text (Muhid et al., 2020; Rajasagaran & Ismail, 2022). Although it has received different criticisms in relation to adaptability (MacNamara, 2011; Mavrogianni et al., 2020), it is still perceived to be instrumental in tertiary education research. Henceforth, this study is planned to answer the following overarching question:

What metacognitive reading strategies do adult International students deploy in English-Taught Programs in Hungary?

This study will not only give insights about the strategies, but it is also more likely to incite curriculum designers and examiners to integrate metacognitive reading strategies in both language teaching books and exams, specifically in a heterogenous, multilingual context.

Participants The participants in this study included are envisaged to include 75 international students enrolled in English-taught programs in Hungary. The participants’ native language is Arabic, and their level of education is at least undergrad. As for their level of English proficiency, it is at least intermediate. As for their age group, it ranges between 18-29. Instruments The data is planned to be gathered from a questionnaire. The questionnaire is going to be based on the revised inventory mentioned above (Mokhtari et al., 2018). This questionnaire features 15 statements that explore three main reading skills: global reading skills (GRS), problem-solving skills (PSS), and support reading skills (SRS). In this inventory, six aspects of validity are featured: content, substantive, structural, generalizability, external, and consequential (Mokhtari et al., 2018). Data collection procedure The data is planned to be collected in a three-week period of time from Arab university students in three universities in Budapest: The Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME), Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE), and Budapest Metropolitan University. As for sampling, the questionnaire will be shared online on Neptun (the university system) among Arab students in Hungary, and data will be filtered in accordance with the criteria above. Data Analysis Procedure: The data is envisaged to be analyzed through a calculation recommended by the inventory designers (Mokhtari et al., 2018) to find the level of metacognitive awareness, the statistical test of independent sample t-test, and compare different groups, namely gender, level of education, first language, etc. According to Mokhtari et al. (2018), the scores-ranging from 1 to 5, provide three axes: individual score, scale score, and composite score. The individual score reveals subskills in each strategy; the scale score explores each strategy, and the composite score sums up all strategies and sub-strategies. The data will be later interpreted as recommended by Mokhtari et al. (2018).

The results of this results are expected to show that international students in Hungary enrolled in English-taught programs use less metacognitive strategies in reading. Henceforth, it is important to highlight these skills and underscore their importance for a better reading experience in the academic sphere.

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