Development of Metalinguistic Awareness in EFL Vocabulary and Spelling: A Longitudinal Case Study of a Child and Adult with Dyslexia

Abstract

This longitudinal case study aimed at investigating the development of metalinguistic awareness in EFL spelling and vocabulary in two Croatian learners with dyslexia who differed in age and language proficiency – a child and an adult. They attended weekly sessions that aimed at improving their English spelling and vocabulary. The data were collected for 45 weeks using the teacher’s notes and audio-recorded lesson observations. The results showed that the participants developed their metalinguistic skills; however, the age and language proficiency factor was salient. Also, the metacognitive component of the instruction had a different effect on the development of metalinguistic skills in spelling and vocabulary acquisition. Pedagogical implications are discussed.

Keywords

• metalinguistic awareness
• dyslexia
• age factor
• english as a foreign language
• spelling
• vocabulary