Strategies-based instruction (SBI), as a learner-centered and participatory approach, allows learners to be the center of attention and explicitly taught how, when, and why strategies can be used. The study reported here has investigated the effect of strategic reading instruction on enhancing reading comprehension and emotional-social abilities of a cohort of undergraduates at a college located in the southeastern Iran. The treatment group (n = 19) practiced for around 75 h (50 sessions) strategy training as well as critical and creative reading skill (higher order processing). The instruction was organized around pre-, during-, and post-tasks, and the major course books included "Mosaic 2" by Wegmann and Knezevic (2007) about 60 min and "Strategic Reading 2" by Richards and Eckstut-Didier (2012) for about 30 min per session. The 21 students in the control group, however, experienced a traditional reading instruction which was mainly focused on comprehension check, vocabulary development, and writing activities. Operationalized in the form presented in this study and implemented over two consecutive semesters, SBI had positive educational and psychological outcomes, although in some not all the target domains.