This study investigated whether there are any significant differences between EFL and ESL
readers in metacognitive reading strategies when they are reading academic texts in English.
One hundred and ninety undergraduate students (96 Iranians and 93 Indians) completed an
instrument designed to measure the students’ metacognitive awareness of reading strategies
after performing a reading comprehension test. The result of this study indicated that the
subjects in both groups reported a similar pattern of strategy awareness while reading academic
texts although the two student groups had been schooled in significantly different socio-cultural
environments. Regarding the difference existing among both groups, Indians reported more
awareness and use of global support and total metacognitive reading strategies. Iranian students
reported no significant difference in using problem-solving reading strategies. These findings
explain some of the differences and similarities between EFL and ESL readers by employing
metacognitive strategies in both contextsta