This study examined the effect of the English teaching method aimed at improving meta-linguistic ability. Meta-linguistic ability refers to the ability to perceive language analytically and to take it as an object of thought. In this study, the author compared the class comment papers of students who took classes designed to improve their meta-linguistic abilities (experimental group) with those of students who took conventional classes (control group). The students in both groups majored in early childhood education. The comments were classified into four levels from 0 to 3 in terms of meta-linguistic ability level. A χ-square test revealed that the number of comments at meta-linguistic ability level 0 was significantly smaller in the experimental group than in the control group, while the number of comments at meta-linguistic ability level 1 was significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control group. There were no significant differences in the number of comments at meta-linguistic ability levels 2 and 3, but the percentage of the total number of comments at both levels was higher in the experimental group than in the control group. The results showed the present teaching method contributes to the improvement of meta-linguistic ability. It is also implied that the situation in which the students had to write some kind of comments in addition to questions gave them opportunities to think more analytically about the content of the class, which supported the development of meta-linguistic ability.

Authors:
Mika Igarashi, Hosen College of Childhood Education, Japan

About the Presenter(s)
Ms. Mika Igarashi is currently a lecturer at the Department of Early Childhood Education, Hosen College of Childhood Education, Japan. Previously, she was a lecturer at Toyo Eiwa University, Japan.

Additional website of interest
https://researchmap.jp/mkigrs-edupsy-lang

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