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Reading is an important skill for college success. This study investigated cognitive predictors of English reading comprehension success among college students whose first language is Arabic. Knowledge of vocabulary/grammar emerged as the strongest predictor of reading success, followed by silent reading fluency, and then decoding skill. However, metacognitive awareness of reading strategies did not statistically significantly contribute to the model. Findings suggest that Arabic speakers draw on their vocabulary and grammar knowledge when tackling an English reading comprehension task, skills that are language specific to L2. Implications include the recommendation for placing the development of college students’ language reservoir at the heart of language programs, and incorporating silent reading fluency and decoding skill within these programs. The finding regarding metacognitive awareness of reading strategies brings into question whether a certain level of language proficiency must be met by language learners before reading strategies begin to contribute to reading comprehension achievement. Keywords: Arabic speakers, Cognitive Model, college reading, decoding skill, EFL, ELL, English language learners, ESL, grammar knowledge, metacognitive awareness of reading strategies, reading comprehension, second and foreign language acquisition, silent reading fluency, vocabulary knowledge
Zainab A. Allaith (Sat,) studied this question.