Metacognition has received recent attention by researchers and teachers alike because of the possibilities for successful instruction and intervention for readers at all levels. This paper explores the area of metacognition as it relates specifically to reading comprehension. The paper addresses six areas: (1) the definitions of metacognition, metacomprehension and metalinguistic awareness; (2) the significance of metacognition in the cognitive processing of written text by good and poor readers; (3) the teacher's role in developing metacognitive abilities; (4) specific strategies that have successfully increased metacognitive skills; (5) ideas for assessing metacognitive abilities both for research and instruction purposes; and (6) recommendations for future study of the role metacognition plays within the reading process. Contains 87 references. (RS)