Abstract
Metacognitive strategies play a key role in foreign language learning as they promote learner autonomy through the organization, planning and self-evaluation of that process. Due to their importance for effective learning, the aim of this study was to explore the metacognitive strategies employed by ESP (English for Specific Purposes) students in a university context. A quantitative study was carried out with English I students of Foreign Trade, Business Administration and Biotechnology at Universidad Nacional de Río Negro, Argentina during 2019. The participants were administered a questionnaire based on Oxford‟s (1990) SILL (Strategy Inventory for Language Learning) and another instrument developed by Franco et al. (2012). The questionnaire also included questions about the students‟ extra-curricular activities regarding the foreign language. In order to ensure data triangulation, guided interviews were conducted with a sub-group of the sample. The results of this study showed that, in general, metacognitive strategies are not very frequently used and there exist differences in use among the three courses of study in this context, which might be the result of a lack of motivation in some cases. Furthermore, the interviews revealed interesting information about the students‟ learning goals and a possible link between those goals and the extra-curricular activities concerning the foreign language that these learners engage in. The findings also provided useful data to implement future action plans that can contribute to the development of this type of strategies in the pedagogical practices with ESP students within this particular university context.