L2 metalinguistic knowledge and L2 achievement among intermediate-level adult Turkish EFL learners

Fatma Aydın

Abstract


The present study investigates the relationship between L2 metalinguistic knowledge and L2 achievement among intermediate-level adult Turkish EFL learners studying at Anadolu University School of Foreign Languages (AUSFL). Metalinguistic knowledge refers to the ability to correct a grammatically incorrect structure in English and explain why it is incorrect, and identify and explicitly state the grammatical role of parts of speech in L2 sentences. It is assessed using the two-section Metalinguistic Knowledge Test (MKT) designed by the researcher. L2 achievement, on the other hand, is assessed using the mid-term exam that consists of grammar, vocabulary, listening, reading, speaking and writing sub-tests. Results of the MKT indicate that L2 metalinguistic knowledge is weak among intermediate-level adult Turkish EFL learners. In addition to this, a correlation analysis and a series of bivariate and multiple regression analyses reveal that L2 metalinguistic knowledge significantly contributes to L2 writing achievement explaining 19.9% of the variance in participants’ writing exam scores. The findings of the present study are discussed within the light of the previous research. Additionally, considering that metalinguistic knowledge benefits second language acquisition (SLA), some implications are suggested accordingly.  


Keywords


Second language acquisition, metalinguistic knowledge, L2 proficiency, EFL learners

Full Text:

PDF

References


Alderson, J. C., & Steel, D. (1994). Metalinguistic knowledge, language aptitude and language proficiency. Retrieved from ERIC database. (ED380984)

Alderson, J. C., Clapham, C., & Steel, D. (1997). Metalinguistic knowledge, language aptitude and language proficiency. Language Teaching Research, 1, 93-121.

Alipour, S. (2014). Metalinguistic and Linguistic Knowledge in Foreign Language Learners. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 4 (12), 2640-2645.

Arthur, B. (1980). Gauging the boundaries of second language competence. A study of learner judgements. Language Learning, 30, 177-194.

Berko, J. (1958). The child’s learning of English morphology. Word, 14, 150–77.

Berry, R. (2005). Making the Most of Metalanguage. Language Awareness, 14 (1), 3-20.

Bialystok, (1990). The competence of processing: classifying theories of second language acquisition. TESOL Quarterly, 24, 635-48.

Carter, R. (2003). Language awareness. ELT Journal, 57, 64-65.

Dakowska, M. (1993) Language, metalanguage, and language use: A cognitive psycholinguistic view. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 3, 79-9.

Doughty, C. (1988). Effects of instruction on the acquisition of relativization in English as a Second Language. Ph.D. dissertation. University of Pennsylvania.

Doughty, C. (2001). Cognitive underpinnings of focus on form. In P. Robinson (ed.), Cognition and Second Language Instruction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 206 57.

Doughty, C. (2003). Instructed SLA: constraints, compensation, and enhancement. In C. Doughty and M. H. Long (Eds.), The Handbook of Second Language Acquisition (pp. 256–310). Oxford: Blackwell.

Doughty, C. and Williams, J. (1998). Issues and terminology. In C. Doughty and J. Williams (Eds.), Focus on Form in Classroom Second Language Acquisition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press , 1-11.

Eckman, F., Bell, L., & Nelson, D. (1988). On the generalization of relative clause instruction in the acquisition of English as a Second Language. Applied Linguistics, 9, 10-20.

Elder, C., & Manwaring, D. (2004). The relationship between metalinguistic knowledge and learning outcomes among undergraduate students of Chinese. Language Awareness, 13 (3), 145–62.

Elder, C. (2009). Validating a test of metalinguistic knowledge. In R. Ellis, S. Loewen, C. Elder, J. Erlam, J. Philp, & H. Reinders (Eds.), Implicit and explicit knowledge in second language learning, testing and teaching (pp. 113-138). Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters.

Ellis, R. (1994). The Study of Second Language Acquisition. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Ellis, N. C. (2005). At the interface: Dynamic interactions of explicit and implicit language knowledge. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 27 (2), 305–52.

Ellis, R. (2009). Measuring implicit and explicit knowledge of a second language. In R. Ellis, S. Loewen, C. Elder, J. Erlam, J. Philp, & H. Reinders (Eds.), Implicit and explicit knowledge in second language learning, testing and teaching (pp. 31-64). Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters.

Ellis, N. (2011). Implicit and explicit SLA and their interface. In C. Sanz & R.P. Leow (Eds.), Implicit and explicit language learning. Conditions, processes, and knowledge in SLA and bilingualism (pp. 35-47).

Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.

Gass, S. (1982). From theory to practice. In M. Hines and W. Rutherford (Eds.), On TESOL' 81. Washington, DC: TESOL , 120-39.

Gass, S. (1994). The reliability of second-language grammaticality judgments. In E. Tarone, S. Gass, and A. Cohen (Eds.), Research Methodology in Second- Language Acquisition (pp. 303–322). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Gass, S. M., & Selinker, L. (2008). Second Language Acquisition: An Introductory Course. New York: Routledge.

Germain, C. and Seguin, H. (1995). Le Point sur: La Crammaire. Montreal: Centre Educatif Culturel.

Gutierrez, X. (2013). Metalinguistic knowledge, metalingual knowledge, and proficiency in L2 Spanish. Language Awareness, 22 (2), 176-191.

Han, Y., & Ellis, R. (1998). Implicit knowledge, explicit knowledge and general language proficiency. Language Teaching Research, 2, 1-23.

Hu, G. (2002). Psychological constraints on the utility of metalinguistic knowledge in second language production. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 24, 347-386.

Hu, G. (2011). Metalinguistic knowledge, metalanguage, and their relationship in L2 learners. System, 39, 63-77. doi:10.1016/j. system.2011.01.011

Krashen, S. (1982). Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition. Oxford: Pergamon.

Krashen, S. (1985). The Input Hypothesis: Issues and Implications. London: Longman.

Kellerman, E. (1986). An eye for an eye: Crosslinguistic constraints on the development of the L2 lexicon. In E. Kellerman and M. Sharwood Smith (Eds.), Crosslinguistic Influence in Second Language Acquisition (pp. 35-48). Oxford: Pergamon.

Kuile, T., H., & Weldhuis, M. (2010). Bilingual education, metalinguistic awareness, and the understanding of an unknown language. Language and Cognition, 14 (2), 233–242.

Long, M. H. (1983). Does instruction make a difference. TESOL Quarterly, 17, 359-382.

Long, M. H. (1988). Instructed interlanguage development. In L. Beebe (ed.). Issues in Second Language Acquisition: Multiple Perspectives. Rowley, MA: Newbury House , 115-141.

Long, M. H. (1991). The design and psycholinguistic motivation of research on foreign language learning. In B. F. Freed (ed.). Foreign Language Acquisition Research and the Classroom. Lexington, MA: Heath , 309-320.

Long, M. H., & Robinson, P. (1998). Focus on form: theory, research, and practice. In C. Doughty and J. Williams (Eds.), Focus on Form in Classroom Second Language Acquisition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press , 15-41.

Mathews, R., Buss, R, Stanley, W, Blanchard-Fields, F, Cho, C, & Druhan, B. (1989). Role of implicit and explicit processes in learning from examples: a synergistic effect. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory and Cognition, 15, 1083-1100.

Masny, D. (1991). Language learning and linguistic awareness: The relationship between proficiency and acceptability judgments in L2. In C. James and P. Garrett (Eds.), Language Awareness in the Classroom (pp. 290-304). London: Longman.

Pavesi, M. (1986). Markedness, discoursal modes, and relative clause formation in a formal and an informal context. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 81, 38-55.

Pica, T. (1983). Adult acquisition of English as a second language under different conditions of exposure. Language Learning, 33, 465-497.

Pienemann, M. (1989). Is language teachable? Psycholinguistic experiments and hypotheses. Applied Linguistics, 10, 52-79.

Reber, A. (1989). Implicit learning and tacit knowledge. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 118, 219-235.

Renou, J. M. (2000). Learner accuracy and learner performance: The quest for a link. Foreign Language Annals, 33 (2), 168–80.

Renou, L. (2001). An examination of the relationship between metalinguistic awareness and second language proficiency of adult learners of French. Language Awareness, 10, 249-67.

Roehr, K. (2007). Metalinguistic Knowledge and Language Ability in University-Level L2 Learners. Applied Linguistics, 29 (2), 173-199.

Roehr, K., & Ganem-Gutierrez, G. A. (2009). The status of metalinguistic knowledge in instructed adult L2 learning. Language Awareness, 18 (2), 165-181.

Schwartz, B. (1993). On explicit and negative data effecting and affecting competence and linguistic behavior. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 15, 147-164.

Schmidt, R. (1994). Deconstructing consciousness in search of useful definitions for applied linguistics. AILA Review, 11, 11-26.

Sharwood Smith, M. (1988). Modularity in second language research. Polyglot, 9 (Fiche 2, Dl).

Swain, M., & Lapkin, S. (1995). Problems in output and the cognitive processes they generate: a step towards second language learning. Applied Linguistics, 16, 371–391.

Tokunaga, M. (2014). Exploring Metalinguistic Knowledge of Low to Intermediate Proficiency EFL Students in Japan. SAGE, 1-10.

White, L. (1987). Against comprehensible input: the Input Hypothesis and the development of second- language competence. Applied Linguistics, 82, 95-110.

White, L. (1991). Adverb placement in second language acquisition: some effects of positive and negative evidence. Second Language Research, 7, (2), 133-161.

VanPatten, B., & Benati, A. G. (2010). Key Terms in Second Language Acquisition. London; New York: Continuum.

Zipke, M. (2007). The role of metalinguistic awareness in the reading comprehension of sixth and seventh graders. Reading Psychology, 28, 375–396.


Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies
ISSN 1305-578X (Online)
Copyright © 2005-2022 by Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies