The Differences Between Undergraduate and Postgraduate Students in Attitude and Use of Language Learning Strategies: A Study of EAP Students in Iran

The study aimed at analyzing the differences between undergraduate and postgraduate EAP students in using language learning strategies as well as their attitudes toward using the strategies whenreading academic texts. For this purpose, 461 students participated in the study. They were given fivereading comprehension passages to read and a questionnaire about the strategies they used along with their attitudes toward using the strategies. The findings manifested significant differences among the postgraduate and undergraduate students in using the strategies that were used more frequently by thepostgraduate students. In addition, the majority of the participants reflected positive attitudes toward using the strategies and effective strategic-based instructional programs that facilitate reading comprehension process. The findings are of importance because they can help curriculum planners,syllabus designers, and language teachers to tailor the most effective strategic-based instructional programs to the needs of the students at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The findings indicate that EAP teachers should be qualified enough to pay balanced attention to the linguistic as well asstrategic aspects of language learning and focus on the particular needs of language learners at different university levels