Metacognitive strategies awareness and success in learning English as a foreign language: an overview

Metacognition is the ability to be conscious of one's mental processes. Research shows that metacognitive learners who take conscious steps to understand what they are doing when they learn tend to be the most successful learners. As the proficient use of metacognitive strategies is rare among students, more research on metacognitive awareness is crucial to determine how students can be taught to apply the cognitive resources in order to activate their repertoire of metacognitive knowledge and strategies and to enhance their learning? This study gives an overview of theories and practices in the field of metacognitive knowledge and language learning.