The metalinguistic awareness of Hong Kong secondary school teachers of English

Abstract

The study is concerned with the language knowledge and awareness of L2 teachers, with specific reference to grammar. A theoretically-based construct, teacher metalinguistic awareness (TMA), is proposed as a pedagogically-related reflective dimension of communicative language ability : a sub-component of pedagogical content knowledge specific to the teacher of language. The model places emphasis on both the declarative and procedural dimensions of TMA.

The main purpose of the study is to examine the validity of the construct by investigating the metalinguistic awareness of a number of teachers of English, all non-native speakers without professional training, working in Hong Kong secondary schools. However, the issues raised are applicable to all L2 teachers (and, arguably, to L1 teachers, too). Employing a combination of quantitative and qualitative techniques, the study investigates the relationship between communicative language ability and the declarative dimension of TMA, explores potential influences upon the development of a teacher's metalinguistic awareness, and observes the ways in which TMA can affect a teacher's professional activity. At the same time, it provides insights into the TMA of the specific group of teachers forming the focus of the research.

The results lend support for the model : declarative TMA and communicative language ability appear to be distinct but related factors of language ability. Both factors are shown to be vital to the consistently successful application of TMA in practice, especially in relation to the teacher's mediation of input for learning. However, the impact of TMA on pedagogical practice is also affected by factors associated with personality, attitude, context, and professional background. Evidence suggests that the development of an individual's TMA (and communicative language ability) is influenced by a cluster of experiential factors specific to that teacher. The levels of communicative language ability and TMA among the research subjects are in general disturbingly low.

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