Papers by Xavier Gutierrez
Analyzed knowledge, metalanguage, and second language proficiency
System, 2016
Abstract The relationship between explicit knowledge and second language (L2) proficiency remains... more Abstract The relationship between explicit knowledge and second language (L2) proficiency remains unclear. While some studies have found a strong correlation between both constructs, others have only found a weak, non-significant relationship. These differences are likely due to how explicit knowledge and L2 proficiency have been measured. The present study examines the two components of explicit knowledge, namely, analyzed knowledge and knowledge of metalanguage, and their relationship to different skills and aspects of L2 proficiency. Anglophone learners of Spanish enrolled in an intermediate-level university course completed two tests of explicit knowledge, each measuring analyzed knowledge and metalanguage, respectively, and also several tests of language achievement focusing on different skills. The findings revealed statistically significant differences between analyzed knowledge and knowledge of metalanguage. Moreover, analyzed knowledge significantly correlated with more components of L2 proficiency than knowledge of metalanguage, and correlation coefficients were higher for the former than for the latter. These results point to a larger role of analyzed knowledge in L2 proficiency than of knowledge of metalanguage.
The Modern Language Journal, 2008
Book review: Sanz, C. and Leow, R.P. (Eds.) (2011). Implicit and explicit language learning: Conditions, processes, and knowledge in SLA and bilingualism
Language Teaching Research, 2012
Knowledge representations underlying covert metalinguistic activity: a working hypothesis
Language Awareness, 2011
Covert metalinguistic activity has received little attention in the field of second language (L2)... more Covert metalinguistic activity has received little attention in the field of second language (L2) education, even though the few studies that have examined this type of attention to language note that it plays a role in L2 learning and use. However, little is known about this phenomenon. The study reported in this article focuses on the knowledge representations at the
Metalinguistic knowledge, metalingual knowledge, and proficiency in L2 Spanish
Language Awareness, 2013
The role of metalinguistic knowledge of language and knowledge of technical terms (i.e. metalingu... more The role of metalinguistic knowledge of language and knowledge of technical terms (i.e. metalingual knowledge) in second language (L2) learning and use is a matter of controversy in the field of Second Language Acquisition. This paper examines the development of these two types of knowledge in adult university-level learners of L2 Spanish, and their relationship to L2 proficiency. Metalinguistic and metalingual knowledge were measured using a metalinguistic knowledge test containing 16 sentences with an underlined error about a particular grammatical structure. The participants were asked to provide a written description of the rule that the error was violating. The quantitative and qualitative analysis of the data shows that, in general, learners demonstrated limited metalinguistic and metalingual knowledge. In addition, there was great variation regarding how close the learners’ verbalisations resembled pedagogical rules of the structures tested. Furthermore, the participants used very few technical terms, albeit mostly correctly, compared with the metalanguage found in those pedagogical rules. Finally, the results show that metalinguistic and metalingual knowledge correlated with written measures of L2 proficiency but not with oral proficiency. These results are discussed in light of previous research, and implications for future research are offered.
Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics Revue Canadienne De Linguistique Appliquee, 2012
Implicit and explicit knowledge of the second language (L2) are two central constructs in the fie... more Implicit and explicit knowledge of the second language (L2) are two central constructs in the field of second language acquisition (SLA). In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in obtaining valid and reliable measures of L2 learners" implicit and explicit knowledge (e.g., Bowles, 2011; R. Ellis, 2005). The purpose of the present study was to examine the nature of the knowledge representations developed by two groups of learners of Spanish as a L2 at different levels of proficiency. The results show that the two groups differed with respect to their implicit and explicit knowledge of Spanish and also regarding the relationship between measures of those representations and the measures of L2 achievement used with each group. Résumé Les connaissances implicites et explicites de la langue seconde (L2) sont deux concepts centraux dans le domaine de l'acquisition de la langue seconde (ALS). Les dernières années ont vu un regain d"intérêt pour la recherche de moyens valides et fiables de mesurer les connaissances implicites et explicites des apprenants de L2 (par exemple, Bowles, 2011; R. Ellis, 2005). Le but de la présente étude a été d'examiner la nature des représentations des connaissances développées par deux groupes d'apprenants de l'espagnol comme L2 à différents niveaux de compétence. Les résultats démontrent qu"il existe des différences marquées entre les deux groupes au niveau de leurs connaissances implicites et explicites de l'espagnol, et aussi en ce qui concerne la relation entre les mesures de ces représentations et les mesures de performance en L2 utilisés avec chaque groupe.
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Papers by Xavier Gutierrez