Abstract
The present study focused on preservice teachers’ grammar knowledge and its importance for their future students’ understanding and use of language, particularly English Learners. This quasi-experimental one-group pretest-posttest study investigated the grammar knowledge of preservice teachers who were enrolled in an undergraduate applied linguistics course at an urban university in the southern United States. The results confirmed prior research which found that preservice teachers are not knowledgeable enough about English grammar when explaining sentence level errors. This study demonstrated that preservice teachers’ basic understanding of English grammar can be increased in a short time, particularly in the recognition of simple grammatical items. However, the findings also indicated that more time is needed to ensure a higher level of metalinguistic awareness, conceptualized as the participants’ ability to understand and analyze common grammar errors using metalanguage. The main implication for preservice teacher programs, especially those inclusive of English Learner teaching knowledge, is that more can and should be done to ensure preservice teachers are receiving language-focused preparation.
Recommended Citation
Schoonmaker, A., & Purmensky, K. L. (2019). The Case for Grammar: What Preservice Teachers Need to Know about Metalinguistic Awareness. Journal of English Learner Education. (9)1.
Retrieved from https://stars.library.ucf.edu/jele/vol9/iss1/1
Included in
Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons, Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons, Educational Methods Commons, Elementary Education Commons, Language and Literacy Education Commons, Other Educational Administration and Supervision Commons, Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons
