Classroom Metatalk: Uncovering the Role of Elaborate vs. Limited Engagement in Fostering Iranian L2 Learners' Writing Accuracy

Abstract

The underlying goal of this study was to assess the effects of metatalk at elaborate and limited levels of engagement on Iranian L2 learners’ grammatical accuracy in writing. Thirty-four male and female students were recruited following the administration of the Quick Oxford Placement Test (QOPT) and then randomly divided into an experimental group with elaborate engagement (n=16) and a comparison one with limited engagement (n=18). Ten narrative tasks were used during the treatment sessions and both groups were asked to write the stories. The initial drafts were reformulated by the teacher. They were then asked to compare the two versions. The experimental group was asked to discuss the reasons for the applied changes while the comparison group only noted the differences. The learners’ sheets were scored and their accuracy was measured drawing on Ellis and Yuan's (2004) accuracy scales. The results revealed that both groups’ grammatical accuracy in writing was enhanced. However, the experimental group outperformed the comparison one since their posttest scores were statistically different. The learners’ language-related episodes were also analyzed, and the qualitative scrutiny brought to surface four patterns of interaction including collaborative, expert-novice, dominant-dominant and dominant-passive. Finally, the current study discusses implications for L2 instructional settings and the use of metatalk as a means to enhance noticing the target forms and expedite their grammatical accuracy and learning processes.

Keywords

• accuracy
• elaborate engagement
• limited engagement
• metatalk