Elicited metalinguistic reflection and second language learning: Is there a link?

This study examined the relationship between the metalinguistic reflections produced by French-speaking elementary school students and their actual learning of ESL. Using a before–after design, data was collected at the beginning (Time 1) and at the end (Time 2) of a 3-month period during which the participants kept a metalinguistic journal. Metalinguistic reflection was operationalized as the verbalized rules and generalizations about English noted by L2 learners in a journal-writing task, while L2 learning was measured by testing grammatical accuracy and receptive and productive vocabulary. The results revealed that students made significant L2 learning gains; however, there was no specific relationship between these gains and their reported metalinguistic reflections. Discussed are the potential connections among metalinguistic ability, metalinguistic tasks and specific learning contexts.