Cross-linguistic effects of pre-reading prediction, cue encoding, and retrieval interval on metacomprehension monitoring accuracy

Recent studies show self-explanation and predictive inference strategies can improve metacomprehension monitoring, but the roles of pre-reading prediction and cross-linguistic transfer remain under-examined. This study used a 2 (language type: Chinese vs. English) × 2 (predictive condition: predictive vs. non-predictive) × 2 (interval type: interval vs. no-interval) × 2 (language proficiency: Chinese vs. English scores) mixed design, with immediate judgments and segmented delayed measures, to test effects of pre-reading prediction and encoding-retrieval interval and their transfer across languages. Key findings of the current research include (1) no-interval conditions yielded higher monitoring accuracy than interval conditions; (2) the pre-reading prediction condition yielded lower monitoring accuracy for expository texts, likely due to limited prior knowledge and the specific demands of the pre-reading task; (3) L1 (Chinese) metacomprehension was transferred to L2 (English) contexts, while foreign-language proficiency did not mediate transfer. These results clarify how encoding-retrieval intervals affect metacomprehension accuracy in reading in Chinese, delimit the conditions under which pre-reading prediction may be counterproductive, and provide empirical evidence for cross-linguistic transfer of metacomprehension processes in bilingual settings. Empirically, the findings suggest that pre-reading prediction training should be tailored to text genre and readers' background knowledge, and that strengthening L1 metacognitive skills can facilitate L2 reading.