Examining University Students’ Language Awareness of Metalinguistic Knowledge in the Thai Context

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate Thai university students’ language awareness of metalinguistic knowledge of English, which focuses on learners’ ability to detect and give explanation for errors in English. A verbal protocol of learner introspection was used with 15 participants studying in the Business English Major in a Thai university. The specific investigation was on errors with verbs which encompass those of tense, aspect, and verb complementation. It was found that most participants identified mistakes inaccurately and in particular they seemed to have serious difficulties with verb complementation. Also, it was found that the participants referred to grammar rules they learned in high school rather than to what they have been exposed to in their university courses to explain grammatical structure. Insights gained from the verbal protocols are useful to help students to understand the thought processes involved in metalinguistic reflection, promote language awareness and address students’ conceptual confusion with English rules.