improving efl learners’ oral proficiency through metacognitive strategy instruction

the present study adopts the perspective that metacognitive strategy instruction is bound to occur inside the classroom especially on oral tasks. accordingly, the researchers investigated whether metacognitive strategy instruction prior to oral tasks was more successful than conventional ways in improving efl learners’ oral proficiency. to this end, 56 participants studying in a language school in tehran were ed based on their performance on the preliminary english test, an interview, and the strategy inventory of language learning (sill). the participants were assigned into control and experimental groups. the control group practiced oral tasks following a warm-up. the experimental group, however, practiced oral tasks after receiving metacognitive strategy instruction. a manova comparison of the mean ratings of the two groups on the posttest interviews and the posttest sill demonstrated a significant difference between the oral proficiency and metacognitive strategy use of the two groups. this result indicated that the experimental group outperformed the control group leading to the conclusion that instruction on metacognitive strategy use prior to oral tasks had a significantly higher impact on efl learners’ oral proficiency and metacognitive strategy use as compared to the only warm-up preceding oral tasks.