The aim of this research is to identify the cognitive and metacognitive strategies used by the 7th grade students of a public school in Kars, who have different grade point averages in the social studies course, while reading the "Foundation of the Ottoman State" subject of the "Journey in Turkish History" unit in the 7th Grade Social Studies Textbook, and to compare these strategies with the students' achievement grade point averages in Social Studies. A case study, one of the qualitative research methods, was used in the research. A total of four students studying in the 7th-grade of a secondary school in Kars participated in the study. A purposeful sampling method was used to determine the participants. The participating students read the “Foundation of the Ottoman State” subject in the 7th Grade Social Studies Textbook. Students were asked to think aloud to determine the cognitive and metacognitive strategies they used while reading the subject. Afterward, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the students after they read the unit to compare the students according to their social studies course grade average levels. The observation records of the students' reading process and the data obtained from the semi-structured interviews conducted with the students after they read the unit were transcribed and analyzed through content analysis. It has been determined that students with "Very High" grade average levels in 7th-grade social studies course studying in public schools use a higher number and variety of metacognitive strategies than students with "Very Low" grade average levels. There was no significant difference found in terms of the number and variety of cognitive strategies used by the students.

The subject of the Establishment of the Ottoman State, Reading Strategies, Plain Texts in Social Studies Learning.