Esmail Zare Behtash - Associate Professor of English, Chabahar Maritime University, Iran
Amin Saed - Lecturer, Chabahar Maritime University, Iran
Meysam Ghasemi - MA student of TEFL, Chabahar Maritime University, Iran

The current study aimed at exploring gender differences in the employment of metacognitive reading strategiesby English as a foreign language students at some universities across Esfahan city in Iran, an attempt to bridge the gapin this specific field of knowledge. The sample of study consisted of 198 participants (62 males=32% and 136females=68%) of different academic levels. The participants completed the 30-item Survey of Reading Strategies(SORS) developed by Mokhtari and Sheory (2002). The findings of the study revealed that the participants were highusers of the overall metacognitive reading strategies (Mean=3.60). Regarding subcategories of SORS, the studentsused problem solving reading strategies the most (Mean=3.90), followed by global reading strategies (Mean= 3.56,S.D=0.48), and support reading strategies the least (Mean=3.34). In this study there was significant differencesbetween male and female students in use of the reading strategies. Both in overall use of metacognitive reading andtwo of subcategories of SORS (problem solving and supportive). But, males and females students employedsubcategories of SORS with the same order. These results illustrated that females tend to be more strategic than malestudents in reading comprehension.

Reading Strategies, Support Strategies, Global Strategies, Problem Solving Strategies, gender