Name: Kakoli Sen Banerjee & Somak Mandal
Country: India

Year: 2026
Volume: Volume-11, Issue-1, January-June 2026
Page Number: 344-352
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19759090

ABSTRACT
Gender differences in the use of metacognitive strategies are well documented in second-language reading research, but empirical evidence from Indian undergraduate ESL contexts—especially in literary reading—remain limited. This study investigates gender-based variation in predicting,
planning, and monitoring during prose and poetry comprehension among Bengali-speaking undergraduate ESL learners. Using a mixed-methods design, data were collected from 28 English Honours students through comprehension tests, an adapted MARSI, reflective journals, classroom
observations, and semi-structured interviews. Female learners used global and support strategies significantly more and displayed more consistent monitoring, especially in poetry. Qualitative results confirmed greater metacognitive awareness and strategic flexibility among female students. The study highlights the influence of gender-based metacognitive differences on literary reading outcomes and the need for explicit strategy instruction in ESL classrooms, offering insights into gendered reading
behaviours in Indian higher education. This article presents an empirical investigation of metacognitive strategy use in reading comprehension among undergraduate ESL learners in an Indian college, focusing on gender variations in predicting, planning, and monitoring during prose and poetry reading. Using a mixed-methods approach that combined quantitative tests and MARSI survey data with qualitative insights, female students consistently demonstrated greater use of global and monitoring strategies and performed better in poetry comprehension, reflecting heightened metacognitive awareness and self-regulation. The article discusses factors behind these gender disparities and implications for ESL instruction,
offering context-sensitive evidence to inform applied linguistics and English studies.

Keywords: metacognitive strategies, gender disparity, ESL reading comprehension, prose and poetry, undergraduate learners