Abstract

Many U.S. adult schools currently aim to create academic and career pathways by implementing higher order thinking and metalinguistic application in their ESL curriculum. However, this ‘ability to reflect on and manipulate the structural features of language’ poses a significant hurdle to adult ESL learners newly learning to read and write, as typical metalinguistic measurements – including written journals and grammaticality judgement tests – require significant levels of literacy. Furthermore, L2 adult learners developing first-time literacy typically have difficulty performing oral-based metalinguistic tasks, such as segmenting words and sentences, concluding (L1) literacy influences (L2) metalinguistic awareness .This study argues that metalinguistic awareness in L2 learners with emergent literacy can be demonstrated via alternative measures. Using a discourse analytic approach, the researcher leverages transcripts to underscore six learners’ engagement with metalinguistic reflection, such as attunement to morphosyntactic and semantic relationships, despite emergent levels of both English oracy and literacy. Utilizing a sociocognitive framework of second language acquisition, the study calls attention to the role of social interaction in developing metalinguistic insights, and the ways knowledge is collectively constructed among the participants.

摘要

许多美国成人学校目前的目标是通过在 ESL 课程中实施更高层次的思维和元语言应用来创造学术和职业道路。然而，这种“反思和操纵语言结构特征的能力”对刚开始学习阅读和写作的成年 ESL 学习者构成重大障碍，因为典型的元语言测量——包括书面期刊和语法判断测试——需要很高的识字水平。此外，发展第一次读写能力的 L2 成人学习者通常难以执行基于口语的元语言任务，例如分割单词和句子、总结 (L1) 读写影响 (L2) 元语言意识。本研究认为，具有新兴的 L2 学习者的元语言意识扫盲可以通过替代措施来证明。使用话语分析方法，研究人员利用成绩单来强调六个学习者的尽管英语口语和识字水平都在不断提高，但仍会参与元语言反思，例如对形态句法和语义关系的调整。该研究利用第二语言习得的社会认知框架，呼吁关注社会互动在发展元语言洞察力中的作用，以及参与者之间集体构建知识的方式。