Metacognitive Strategy Instruction: Impact on EFL Learners’ Speaking Performance and Motivation

This study investigated the effects of metacognitive strategy instruction on EFL learners’ speaking performance and motivation toward speaking lessons among first-year university students at Mattu University. The study employed a quasi-experimental pre-test–post-test control group design involving 110 undergraduate students enrolled in a Communication English course at Mattu University. The participants were assigned to experimental and control groups, each consisting of 55 students. The experimental group received explicit metacognitive strategy instruction, whereas the control group received conventional speaking instruction. Data were collected using speaking performance tests and a Motivation Inventory Questionnaire administered before and after the intervention. The collected data were analyzed using independent samples t-tests, paired samples t-tests, and ANCOVA. The findings revealed that the experimental group significantly outperformed the control group in speaking performance after the intervention ( p = .002). Similarly, the results indicated a statistically significant improvement in learners’ motivation toward speaking lessons after the intervention ( p = .000). The findings suggest that explicit metacognitive strategy instruction enhanced learners’ communicative competence, self-regulation, confidence, and engagement in speaking activities. Overall, the study concludes that metacognitive strategy instruction can significantly improve EFL learners’ speaking performance and motivation. The study contributes empirical evidence from the Ethiopian EFL context and highlights the pedagogical value of metacognitive strategy-based communicative instruction in higher education.