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The relationship between metalinguistic knowledge/learning contexts and language proficiency

Date

2013

Authors

Hanson, Jenna, author
Correa, Maite, advisor
Ehlers-Zavala, Fabiola, advisor
Velazquez-Castillo, Maura, committee member
Doe, Sue, committee member

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Abstract

This study explores the relationship between learning context on learners' oral proficiency, metalinguistic knowledge of Spanish (MKS) and metalinguistic knowledge of English (MKE). The study also explores the relationship between MKE and MKS, and MKS on oral proficiency between the two learning contexts. The two contexts in question were a traditional semester (TS) that met five days a week, fifty minutes a day for fifteen weeks and a four-week summer intensive program that met five days a week, four hours a day for four weeks. A COPI (computerized oral proficiency interview) was administered to measure oral proficiency and two different measures of metalinguistic knowledge were employed to test MKE and MKS. The MKE test was administered as a pre and posttest, whereas the MKS test was given at the end of the semester. The study found that, a) students in the TS group have significantly higher levels of MKS, b) student in the TS group significantly improve their MKE more so than the IS group, c) there is a significant relationship between MKS and oral proficiency regardless of group, d) there is a significant relationship between MKE pretest and MKS at the end of the semester, and e) there is no significant difference between oral proficiency between the two contexts.

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