The role of metalinguistic awareness in the development of a semiotic apprenticeship
The current thesis explores the role played by metalinguistic awareness in language acquisition/learning and seeks to develop a theoretical framework in which the integration of 'knowledge about language' (KAL) in the school curriculum can be clarified in terms of curriculum planning and pedagogic practice. Chapter 1 unravels the confusion surrounding terms such as metalinguistic 'awareness' and/or 'consciousness' by relating them to the discussion on metacognition currently in vogue in cognitive psychology. A taxonomy of theoretical models is considered. Chapter 2 relates differences in the definition of metalinguistic awareness and its function in language acquisition/learning to the theoretical models outlined in Chapter 1. A socio-cultural viewpoint, it is argued, which views metalinguistic awareness arising out of the progressive decontextualisation of functional variants, is the most useful in interpreting existing data. Chapter 3 seeks to build on Chapter 2 by developing a more elaborated model of the role of metalinguistic awareness in the emergence of 'parasitic' language skills within a socio-cultural paradigm. The model examines the interdependence of skill and knowledge in the child's expanding
Roberts, Anthony David
Teaching; English; Language
The role of metalinguistic awareness in the development of a semiotic apprenticeship. The current thesis explores the role played by metalinguistic awareness in language acquisition/learning and seeks to develop a theoretical framework in which the integration of 'knowledge about language' (KAL) in the school curriculum can be clarified in terms of curriculum planning and pedagogic practice. Chapter 1 unravels the confusion surrounding terms such as metalinguistic 'awareness' and/or 'consciousness' by relating them to the discussion on metacognition currently in vogue in cognitive psychology. A taxonomy of theoretical models is considered. Chapter 2 relates differences in the definition of metalinguistic awareness and its function in language acquisition/learning to the theoretical models outlined in Chapter 1. A socio-cultural viewpoint, it is argued, which views metalinguistic awareness arising out of the progressive decontextualisation of functional variants, is the most useful in interpreting existing data. Chapter 3 seeks to build on Chapter 2 by developing a more elaborated model of the role of metalinguistic awareness in the emergence of 'parasitic' language skills within a socio-cultural paradigm. The model examines the interdependence of skill and knowledge in the child's expanding
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