Abstract
The goal of the current research was to study the relationship among learning contexts and, levels of metalinguistic knowledge of the Iranian intermediate EFL learners. This research explores the level of learners’metalinguistic knowledge in English in two different contexts (traditional and intensive courses). Participants included 44 intermediate students at Shoukoh Language Institute, Zanjan, Iran. The selection violated the randomization criterion, thus the quasi-experimental was taken for the current study. The instruments used for data collection were Nelson English Language Proficiency Test (NELPT) as a placement test which used to measure level of students prior to the experiment and, a metalinguistic knowledge English test (MKET) was also, administered at the beginning and ending the semester as pre and post-test to measure their metalinguistic knowledge. The data collected from the administration of the above mentioned two tests were submitted to different statistical analysis such as ANCOVA, one independent sample t-test and, one paired sample t-test. The results revealed that there was a significant distinction between two sets performance in the metalinguistic test. An intensive English course had an important helpful influence on MKE of the students. They enhanced their MKE in an intensive semester. As an implication of this study, the findings will motivate language teachers to focus on intensive semester because intensive instruction was found to be effective in improving the EFL learners’ MKE. Further study is needed before the results of the research can be generalized.
Highlights
1.1 Introduce the ProblemResearch in the field of language achievement indicates that the urge of language proficiency has changed enormously
In order to help narrow the existing gaps in current research, the present study seeks to answer the following research questions: 1) Is there a significant difference between the metalinguistic knowledge of Iranian (MKI) exhibited by students enrolled in an intensive course (IS) and students enrolled in a traditional course (TS) at the end of the semester?
In order to answer to the above research questions, the following research null hypotheses were proposed: H01: There is no significant difference between the metalinguistic knowledge of English (MKE) exhibited by students enrolled in an intensive course (IS) and students enrolled in a traditional course (TS) at the end of the semester
Summary
Research in the field of language achievement indicates that the urge of language proficiency has changed enormously. Metalinguistic knowledge is the learners’ clear and precise awareness about the vocabulary, syntactic grammatical, morphological and phonological structures of the second language (Roehr, 2006). He suggests that metalinguistic knowledge is an effective factor that helps improve language proficiency in a second language context. Students are frequently exposed to precise instruction and education where systematic description and explanation of different aspects of second language is permitted This provides an opportunity for teachers and applied linguistics researchers to create the environment of the connection between foreign language ability and their foreign language metalinguistic awareness, or precise awareness about the second language (Roehr, 2006). An alternative EFL setting is examined in which language learners will be involved in the learning process more intensively
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